Catmose Primary School staff show support to pupils in Facebook video

Staff at a primary school have gone the extra mile to ensure pupils and their families don’t feel forgotten about during the coronavirus lockdown.

Catmose Primary School pupils were met with a surprise on Thursday last week as school staff joined together to send them a special video message.

The video featured pictures of all the staff in their homes or gardens holding up colourful words which, put together, made a full message.

Kelly Jackson, headteacher, said: “I’ve seen other schools do pictures but more as a poster.

“We wanted to make a moving video with music instead of individual ones to reach out to pupils and their families to say we are thinking of you.”

She added: “We’ve had an awful lot of interaction.

“There’s been lots of likes and shares.”

Pupils at the school in Oakham have been set work which they are completing at home with help from their parents and guardians.

Staff have also been filming regular videos asking children to complete creative tasks such as coming up with song lyrics for a school song and making bookmarks.

Kelly said: “I think in the coronavirus crisis mental health and wellbeing is the most important thing any school can support.

“When they are back to school we can have interventions for any gaps there are in their learning and skills.

“My focus as headteacher is to ensure we have regular contact with the pupils to keep up morale and let them know we are still here.”

Kelly said she is thankful for technology and is using it as much as possible to keep in contact with her ‘school family’.

“It’s just as important for them to FaceTime their family as it is important keeping in contact with their school community,” she said.

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