YEAR 10 students have been welcomed back to Winsford Academy by their new headteacher after spending 12 weeks studying at home during lockdown.

Pupils were kept safely apart under new guidelines and said they were happy to see their friends and meet up with teachers.

Northwich Guardian:

Year 10 students were kept safely apart

Headteacher Gary Evans said:"It went really well. A lot of work has gone into the planning and there has been massive emphasis on social distancing. In some ways it has been like a military operation."

Northwich Guardian:

The emphasis was on social distancing to keep students and staff safe

Around 40 students are split up into groups of 10 each day for four hours of study. They will attend school once a week alongside staff who are also on a rota.

"Students are working on either live online lessons teachers are carrying out from home across all subjects or pre recorded lessons," said Mr Evans, who is introducing himself to every group with a special assembly.

Northwich Guardian:

Students can access online work through a learning platform

"They can also access online work through our learning platform."

Students are with the same teacher all day and each group has separate toilets, breaks and classrooms.

Northwich Guardian:

Students enjoyed seeing their friends again after studying alone at home for 12 weeks

"Feedback has been very positive," said Mr Evans. "Some said it was 'pretty fun' and other said it was 'really useful'.

"It was a chance for them to see their friends and for us to find out where they are up to in terms of learning."

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In an online survey, 70 per cent of parents said they were planning to send their children back. There are 200 year 10 students.

"We're hoping this number will go up as we've had some great messages from parents saying their children felt very safe," said Mr Evans. "It was very relaxed, there were a lot of lovely conversations.

Northwich Guardian:

New headteacher Gary Evans introduces himself to year 10 students at special assemblies

"Staff have been working really hard during lockdown and see themselves as a real part of the community.

"I'm a new head they don't know and they are putting a lot of trust in me. They have been outstanding. They really do care about our students."