A POSITIVE FOCUS

ON THE FUTURE

Pupils at Rossall School have continued to thrive and benefit throughout lockdown from the unrivalled pastoral care and sense of community that the school has at its core, writes Gail Bailey

Rossall School is one of the country’s leading independent boarding and day schools with a reputation for nurturing its pupils within a safe, secure and supportive environment. This level of care and outstanding standard of education has been maintained for all pupils throughout the recent lockdown period.

“We have been open throughout these challenging times with all children learning remotely and up to 100 children in school each day. As things now begin to ease for us all, more children are gradually returning to school and we will be open fully from September,” explains Headmaster Jeremy Quartermain.

The staff and pupils at Rossall have excelled during these unprecedented times and the strength of this community and the resourcefulness of its staff have been evident: “We are a progressive school and we had all embraced digital learning before the recent lockdown commenced. All online lessons commenced on the first Monday morning of lockdown,” he adds.

Virtual assemblies occur every Monday morning and a high level of pastoral support has been in place for all pupils. The school even established its own bespoke diploma for Year 10 and Year 12 pupils. These examinations were invigilated in 41 countries and 10 different time zones. This was no mean feat from a logistic perspective but the school was determined to ensure that children left with credible grades that reflected their true potential. Over 70 per cent of Rossall Sixth Formers hold offers from Top 20 universities in the UK and exam transcripts from school examinations will be made available to universities in support of individual applications.

The Headmaster has high praise for the teaching staff who he says have been incredible, in terms of how quickly they have adapted to teaching and learning on virtual platforms: “Every child has a fundamental right to an education and when barriers or obstacles appear it is our job as educators to overcome these and move forward.”

It will be a positive start in September with some exciting new developments. Rossall doesn’t stand still and some of the recent changes include the nursery moving to a new and upgraded facility that includes a baby room, and the infant school being redeveloped and significantly enlarged. Sports and Sixth Form amenities have seen major investment and the next project will be the full restoration of the iconic school dining hall.

Stringent measures are in place to ensure the safety of all the pupils, staff and visitors. Thermal imaging cameras have been installed along with temperature testing facilities and only 15 pupils will be in a classroom.

Minimising risk is central to all planning and supporting students emotional, as well as physical, wellbeing is a key focus. Indeed, the school is seen as a trailblazer within the independent school sector and recently established the UK Safe Schools movement.

The Headmaster adds: “The measures and protocols that we have put in place mean that whilst there are inevitably a few compromises to be made, the essence of normal school life is still there, and our children can access all of the facilities and, most importantly, enjoy working together.”

Rossall School
Broadway, Fleetwood FY7 8JW
01253 774201
rossall.org.uk

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