Boarders Return to State Boarding School
Boarders at the Royal Alexandra and Albert School in Surrey have been arriving this weekend, ready to return to lessons on Monday 8th March. Before going to their boarding houses they took a Lateral Flow Test in the School Chapel. Parents booked the test for their child in advance, and the result was available within 40 minutes. Once they received a clear test, they went to their boarding house to be reunited with their friends, who they have not been able to meet in person since before Christmas.
Seeing friends is precisely what Year 8 boarder, Jasmine Taylor, was looking forward to. She said, “I’m happy to be going back to my boarding house, my dorm, and seeing my friends. I’m also looking forward to learning in the classroom again; learning from home is fine but it’s easier to get distracted.”
Year 12 boarder, Bukunmi Olunloyo, agreed. She explained, “Learning is easier in person, in a classroom with my friends and our teachers. I’m not anxious to be returning, I’m looking forward to it.”
Bukunmi was accompanied to her test by her mother. Mrs Olunloyo said of the Lateral Flow Testing process run by the School, “We pre-booked everything online beforehand, so it has been very straightforward.” Bukunmi and Jasmine, along with another eighty boarders, had their Lateral Flow Tests on Saturday 6th March, and over one hundred and fifty boarders had already pre-booked to have their Lateral Flow Test the following day.
Deputy Head (Pastoral and Boarding) Joe Gale said, “We are absolutely delighted to welcome back our boarders this weekend and we look forward to our local pupils joining them during the next week. It is a shame that some of our overseas boarders are not able to get back to school, but we hope to see them in the Summer Term. It has been a difficult few months for pupils, this is the first step in the return to normality.”
“Whilst we are now reopening to all pupils, the School has been open throughout lockdown for vulnerable children and the children of key workers. I would like to thank staff who have worked hard to ensure all pupils have had a positive learning experience, whether it be remote, or in person, during the pandemic.”
06 March 2021
