Pupils and educators look forward to a familiar routine as schools prepare for September return

Pupils at Ark Walworth Academy in south London. Schools will feel more normal for pupils and staff from September (Ark)

Pupils, teachers and other school staff will return to the classroom in September for a fresh academic term with fewer restrictions in place.

The easing of restrictions allows children and education staff the opportunity to get back to a more normal school environment with the end of the requirement for bubbles to self isolate. This means pupils can mix more widely across the school and take part in group-based activities such as team sports, after school clubs and practical lessons, including science experiments and music groups.

The return to more normality will provide consistency and routine for children and young people, although protective control measures can still be triggered in schools where there is a high prevalence of the virus.

While the majority of measures are no longer required regular Covid-19 testing will remain in place for staff and secondary school and college students.

At the start of term secondary school or college students should take two rapid Covid-19 tests three to five days apart. Rapid tests should be taken twice weekly at home, and throughout term time if feeling unwell to help reduce transmission in schools and minimise disruption.

“September will feel significantly more familiar in terms of the normal experience of school,” explained Jessica West, principal of Ark Walworth Academy – a non-selective, non-faith-based, mixed school in south London with 1,100 pupils aged 11-18.

“From a purely education perspective, it is a no-brainer that people come back to school in September.

“But also, school is really fun! It is where they see their friends and other adults who act as role models and can offer additional support. It is where they access sport, community and clubs.”

Jessica West with pupils at her school in Walworth (Ark)

The easing of restrictions will bring huge benefits to young people’s mental health and wellbeing – and it will be warmly welcomed by teachers and other school workers, too.

Ms West added: “Staff are really looking forward to seeing their students in a normal environment again.

“School professionals are highly invested in the wellbeing of young people … so they are really looking forward to seeing young people and really promoting them by doing the best possible work that they can.”

Nazakit Khan and his 14-year-old son, Luqaman, are equally excited about returning to school in September.

Luqaman said after many months of attending classes remotely he was looking forward to continuing with face-to-face teaching.

“You can ask the teacher more questions in person and feel more confident with the teacher than you do online,” he said.

His father added: “We’re happy he’s going back into school, meeting the teachers, he’s not missing out on important study time and also seeing his friends and not being bored.”

For Anupa Roper’s 12-year-old daughter, Maya, who is about to start year 8 at a school in Leicester, the social aspects of the classroom are key.

“She struggled, when it was online learning, with being stuck on the computer all day,” Ms Roper, who also has a 10-year-old son called Ayden, said.

Anupa Roper, 43, from Leicester, with Ayden who is 10 and Maya who is 12 (Anupa Roper)

“Maya missed having break time with her friends in the fresh air, it was tough for her.

“She is a social person and quite often in the classroom, she'll be the person helping other children so she was missing all of that. She's really enthusiastic about going back.”

Key to tackling the virus is vaccination, with the vast majority of adults and education staff in the UK now having received at least one does. Young people aged 16 to 17, as well as children aged 12 to 15 with specific underlying health conditions or who live with others at increased risk of getting seriously ill from Covid-19 are now also eligible for the vaccine.

Alongside regular testing in secondary schools and colleges, some safety measures will remain to help suppress the virus, including regular handwashing, maintaining appropriate cleaning regimes, and keeping spaces well ventilated.

However, schools and colleges are no longer advised to stagger start and finish times or wear face coverings in classrooms or communal areas (except for pupils aged 11 and over who travel on public transport to and from school). Furthermore, children under the age of 18 who have been in close contact with someone with Covid-19 will not have to self-isolate unless they have a positive PCR test result.

To find our what to expect when pupils return this September, including asymptomatic testing in place visit gov.uk/backtoschool