Doncaster school staff start routine Covid tests as new era begins

Big changes are happening at the school traditionally known as Woodlands Primary, in Doncaster.
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Monday is set to mark the start of teachers taking bi-weekly tests for coronavirus for the first time, as the school at The Crescent, Woodlands, becomes one of a number to step up the battle to prevent the spread of the disease.

And at the same time, the school is opening up for the first time under a new name as it switches its management to the Outwood Grange Academies Trust, which has been already working with the school for a year.

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Gemma Kilner, Outwood Primary Academy Woodlands Academy Principal, pictured.Gemma Kilner, Outwood Primary Academy Woodlands Academy Principal, pictured.
Gemma Kilner, Outwood Primary Academy Woodlands Academy Principal, pictured.
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For Gemma Kilner, it will represent her first day as principal at the school as an academy. She has already been working closely with staff for almost a year, having been put in place by Outwood last year after the trust was earmarked to take it over.

Mrs Kilner was previously the principal of another Outwood Academy, Littleworth Grange in Barnsley, which she took from being judged as requiring improvement by Ofsted to 'good' status.

But the new era starts with a new challenge in a year that has seen plenty of new things to deal with because of the pandemic, with the school starting up Covid tests for the first time among its staff.

She said the test kits had arrived at the school this week, and they would be used for the first time from next week.

Natalie Poornomansy, Class Teacher, pictured with Foundation Stage Two children in the Outdoor provision.Natalie Poornomansy, Class Teacher, pictured with Foundation Stage Two children in the Outdoor provision.
Natalie Poornomansy, Class Teacher, pictured with Foundation Stage Two children in the Outdoor provision.
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The idea is that it will potentially pick up any cases where the individual has Covid but no symptoms.

She said: “We each have to do two tests a week, and record the results. I hope it will help us in terms of staff confidence and give us a better picture if we should have to close a bubble. I hope it will help show the staff that they are valued.”

In the year that she has been working at Woodlands, the school has had a lot of adapting to do.

Mrs Kilner arrived full time in March, taking over a school which had been rated as inadequate in October 2019, but within weeks the school was dealing with lockdown.

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There was a window of near normality between September and Christmas, before the second lockdown began this month.

She said the school had received support from Outwood Grange throughout, as it had been named as preferred sponsor some time ago.

“It was difficult, but everyone worked together,” she said.

The school is doing live lessons online every day. The children of essential workers and vulnerable children who still come in every day number around 100, or 25 per cent of the school roll. That compares to around 15 children during the first lockdown. They take part in lessons online, the same as the pupils who are working from home.

The school has also dished out laptops, around 50, although it has not been able to provide them for all pupils who may benefit from them, and Mrs Kilner says they could still use more.

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She has also had to navigate the sensitive issue of providing meals for those who are not coming into school, but are on free school meals. She said initially the school provided meal hampers. But they have since switched to vouchers because it makes it easier to distribute them to the 173 pupils at the school who are eligible, as the school is able to email them to families.

Mrs Kilner is proud of her staff for the way they have risen to the challenge, but is particularly proud of the work of its welfare team, Wendy Simpkin and Lauren Rhodes.

She said: “They have done a superb job getting computers out to those who need them, checking people are safe and well, making home visits and making sure vulnerable families are supported. They have gone above and beyond.”

But it has not just been the problems that the pandemic has produced which Woodlands has had to deal with. It has also been working to transform the concerns that were raised by Ofsted in 2019.

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Work is already well underway, and Mrs Kilner says it is beginning to have an effect.

When she came in, inspectors had said the subjects it was teaching in lessons were inadequate. As a result the school has drawn up a new curriculum to deal with that, including new English and Maths teaching.

There was also criticism of pupil behaviour. Now it has brought in the ‘consequences’ system operated across Outwood Grange’s schools. Pupils who misbehave are put on a level of C1 to C6. The first three levels are warnings. The final three bring time away from the classroom, and eventually suspension.

Mrs Kilner feels it is working. In 2019, there were 47 exclusions. This school year has seen only eight.

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She said: “We have brought in new expectations and changed the culture. Children are told to be safe, to be respectful and to be responsible. It’s like starting a new school. A lot of systems have been tightened up. We have made sure everything is focused on high quality teaching and learning. I think before, behavioural issues steered things away from that sometimes."

It is the first primary school in Doncaster to be run by Outwood. But the trust already has a presence in the borough in terms of secondary schools, having been the trust behind Outwood Academy Adwick since 2009, and Outwood Academy Danum since 2016. Its Outwood Institute of Education is also based in Adwick.

Woodlands is a feeder school for Outwood Academy Adwick, and Mrs Kilner believes it will help her pupils that when they move up to senior school, they will already know many of the systems they have in place through seeing them at Woodlands.

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.