A HEADTEACHER held a unique assembly for 220 teddy bears over half term to symbolise each of the primary school children that are currently learning from home during the pandemic.

Home-schooling during lockdown has been difficult for everyone.

Children have missed their classmates, parents home working have had to juggle their own job with helping their children and teachers have been teaching not only key worker and vulnerable children in schools, but also adapting lessons to teach their other pupils online.

Following Boris Johnson’s announcement that schools will reopen on March 8 it will be welcome news to many.

However until that happens, schools are managing the best way they know how to keep spirits high and let their pupils know that they miss them and can’t wait for their return.

However, one school, St John Vianney Primary School, found a unique way to connect with their pupils during lockdown.

The Parents, Teachers and Friends Association of the school on Elton Head Road, decided to buy 220 stuffed bears to cheer up students for them to keep as memorabilia for when they had to learn from home during the pandemic.

But before they were each delivered to every student, staff, including head teacher Anne-Louise Friar, took pictures of the teddy’s, each wearing a special message on a t-shirt, in an assembly setting.

Head teacher Anne-Louse Friar said: “Each year the PTFA get something nice for the children for Easter, but with that likely to not happen this year, they decided to get them something as a token of the times we are living in and show them we are thinking about them.

“There are 200 teddies for the main school and a few more for nursery pupils, because even though staff are doing amazing work online with them, we do miss having them all in and I know its hard for children, staff and parents at the moment.

“This is just a lovely little gesture to say we haven’t forgotten about them and we can’t wait to be all together again when lockdown restrictions say we can.

“We took some pictures of the bears in ‘assembly’ too for a bit of fun and it is the quietest assembly I’ve ever done.”

The message on the back of the t-shirt each teddy wears says: ‘Soon we will be back together, until then hug me tight and I’ll keep you safe.

‘Love the SJV PTFA xx’

n Do you have any positive stories about schools during lockdown?

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