New classroom to open at English Martyrs Catholic Voluntary Academy in Oakham

A school has been a hive of activity during the coronavirus pandemic, with a new classroom being added to make more room for pupils.

The building work was completed over the Christmas holiday, with the extra room ready for the youngest children at English Martyrs Catholic Voluntary Academy in Oakham, and their teacher, Kate Long.

The extension also means the school can now offer single year group classes from Reception to Year 6.

Headteacher Alison Chambers said: “We were very fortunate to receive a donation towards creating the new Early Years Foundation Stage classroom from a grandparent, which helped us extend the school.

“The children were able to have a look at their new classroom before they broke up for Christmas, and were very excited about coming back to it.

“For us, it means being able to teach children in single year groups, which is something we have aimed for as a school.

“We had a waiting list to join years 3, 4 and 5; now we will be able to take on more children, while still keeping class sizes below 25.”

During 2020 the school had no children test positive for Covid-19, and only one member of staff, who was able to self-isolate.