The principal of a Shirebrook school says he is looking forward to seeing students back behind their desks when they return, but warns that it will take time to adjust to the new social distancing measures and a much-changed school curriculum.

Mark Cottingham, principal of Shirebrook Academy, says the school’s full reopening on Tuesday will signify a return to “some kind of normality” after the majority of its students were forced to work from home six months ago due to the coronavirus lockdown.

However, they will be greeted by a whole host of arrangements that have been put into place to minimise the risk of them spreading the coronavirus and will be required to wear face coverings in communal areas.

The school, which opens its doors to Year Sevens on Monday and the remaining students on Tuesday, has spent £25,000 on making sure it complies with social distancing measures, including buying face coverings for everybody, dozens of new desks and tables and installing signage all over the building.

It has converted break-out zones, science labs and art rooms into classrooms, with all the desks and chairs facing the same way and with students required to sit in the same seat in the same room all day.

Mr Cottingham said: “After such a long time I am very much looking forward to us all being together as a school again and being able to talk to students on the daily basis. It is the best part of the job for me and the aspect that I have missed the most.

“We have worked extremely hard to put in place all of the measures we feel will keep everyone safe but inevitably there is a lot of uncertainty about how the measures will work in practice and how we will be able to prevent them being a distraction to learning.”

There will be no practical science experiments for anyone except Year 10 and 11 students and PE is limited to non-contact sports – meaning no football or netball – while art lessons will be limited to drawing with coloured pencils at their desks.

Singing in music lessons is banned, while the only musical equipment that students will be allowed to use will be keyboards, which will be wiped down after use. Instead of using sticks and drums in percussion lessons, the school has bought dozens of pairs of chopsticks so that students can practice by tapping on the desktop instead.

Elsewhere, they will order their lunch in advance and pick up their meals in boxes or bags, while the school library has been temporarily closed and the room converted into another classroom.

All in all, it is a very different start to the new school year, but Mr Cottingham said the priority will be to rebuild the academy community and explore the ways in which the lockdown has impacted on students’ sense of wellbeing.

Staff will also spend the first few days assessing students to find out what gaps might exist in their learning after spending so long away from school.

He said: “It will take a while to get used to what will at least be some kind of normality and some of the first week will be taken up by talking to the students as part of our duty of care to them and our concern for their welfare.

“There is no doubt that many students will have had a difficult time during lockdown due to issues at home and the lack of the support system that we provide at school.

“We will be encouraging them to bring those issues to the fore as well as spending time finding out how much learning that they have missed, which will help us to shape the curriculum for the rest of the school year.”

Pictured is Shirebrook Academy site staff manager Paul Plastow fixing arrows to the floor in order to establish a one-way system ahead of students returning to the school.