The CEO of the Olympus Academy Trust, which has nine schools across Bristol and South Gloucestershire, has told BristolLive how lateral flow testing is going, and says some teachers are ‘feeling anxious’.
Dave Baker says testing at Olympus Academy Trust schools started last week and ‘went smoothly,' but went on to say how it is causing some staff to feel anxious as to whether the conditions are right for all children to return.
It comes as schools across the country are reopening, with all pupils returning to primary settings today whilst secondary students are being staggered back to learning.
It’s understood that all secondary students at Olympus Academy Trust schools will be returning to learning next Monday (March 15) with students taking part in lateral flow tests this week.
Schools in Olympus Academy Trust include:
Secondary:
Winterbourne Academy
Patchway Community School
Bradley Stoke Community School
Abbeywood Community School
Primary:
Filton Hill Primary School
Meadowbrook Primary School
Stoke Lodge Primary School
Callicroft Primary Academy
Charborough Road Primary School
In a statement, Mr Baker said: “We started testing last Wednesday with a bespoke plan for each secondary school to ensure that all schools could get through their 3 rounds of lateral flow testing 3-5 days apart before starting back for learning by next Monday.
“All schools completed the first round of testing by the end of last week and the feedback was that students engaged positively with the process.
“The testing ran smoothly and took less time than anticipated so we hope that this week will be straightforward and will provide reassurance about safety in all 4 of our secondary settings by the time students are back in classes in the next few days.
“All our primary settings were fully operational from first thing this morning."
Mr Baker says staff are feeling both anxious and excited.
He added: "Staff are understandably feeling a mixture of emotions, depending on their own circumstances.
“This ranges from anxiety about whether the conditions are right in the wider community for a full return to school through to excitement and joy about seeing the children back in school.”
Follow our live blog on Bristol school's reopening here.
