As part of our new feature, we are talking with members of the Outwood Family and finding out how life has changed for them since the wider reopening of the primary academies.

This time we chat with Victoria Kirkman, Principal at Outwood Primary Academy Greystone. 

Read on to see how Victoria and the team at OPA Greystone dealt with the wider reopening of the academy to children.

[Outwood.com] Hi Victoria, thanks for taking the time to chat with us. We appreciate you’re busy, so let’s get to it! Things have been turned upside down recently, for reasons we are all too aware of. So, as we begin to enter a new ‘normal’, how were you feeling prior to the academy reopening?

“Thank you for asking me to take part in this little feature! As for how I was feeling prior to the wider reopening, that’s an easy one. I was feeling extremely excited and could not wait to reopen to an increased number of children.

“I was excited to begin this next phase and most importantly I was excited to see the children again.”

Can imagine after the last few months, it must have been really exciting thinking about having more children back into the school. To enable this though, which part of the wider reopening did you find most challenging?

“It was always going to be a very tough and complicated task to get things ready for the school reopening to some of our children. Ensuring robust risk assessments were undertaken, with an unwavering and laser-like focus on ensuring safety for all. This means not only the children and our staff but also the wider community.

“The academy’s link with the parents has really helped us during this spell also. The parents and carers have appreciated the constant communication we have provided at every point. They have been phenomenally positive about the children returning to the school, and that’s because they can clearly see their child’s safety has been at the forefront of our reopening preparations.”

That’s true but it seems like you, as did all the Outwood primaries, managed to find a way to ensure the process was done as thoroughly and safely as possible. Were there any surprises along the way?

“There were always going to be bumps in the road where we had to take a pragmatic approach to resolve them. But for me, the most surprising thing has been the incredible way the children have returned to the school. They have adapted really well, like they have never been away. Well, apart from the fact they all seem to have grown so much!”

What a lovely note to end on! Thank you for your time, Victoria.