YOUNG people starting secondary school today in Liskeard gathered on the tennis courts outside to meet their new tutors, and older students coming back for tutor meetings were having their temperatures taken, as staff incorporated some very new safety procedures into the usual first day of term.

At Liskeard School and Community College, head Alex Lingard said the school had decided to take a ’more cautious approach’ than the official Government guidelines on preventing coronavirus transmission to start off with, with the hopes of relaxing things a little as time goes on. Children will be asked to wear masks as they enter the school building and move around the corridors, but will be able to take them off in class. Youngsters in Year 7-9 will stay in classroom ’bubbles’ while subject staff come to them. Where possible, students will sit facing the fromt in rows while teachers teach from the front in 2m zones – they’ll be asked to wear a visor if they move round the classroom to help students. Older students will be in bigger year group bubbles.

If contactless infrared temperature guns, visors and desks in formal rows all sound a bit clinical, the atmosphere as the youngsters came in through the gates this morning was anything but. Huge welcoming smiles on the faces of staff, and a feeling of excitement amongst the young people and teachers alike to get back to normal seemed to override these minor barriers.

New Year 7s will be getting to know their teachers and each other today and tomorrow, while older students are coming in for one-to-one meetings with their tutors, to discuss how the last few months has been for them and raise any questions or concerns.

Students of Callington Community College also return to class today, with Saltash starting back tomorrow and Looe on Monday. At Torpoint Community College, Year 7 students will begin term tomorrow and then for the first week, students in different year groups will attend on alternate days, with all year groups back in school from September 14.