On Thursday, 7th May, representatives from various government organisations inspected our Honglingjing campus once again to ensure the readiness of our facilities for the return of Year 11 students next week Monday, 11th May. With the Year 13s already on campus, a majority of the preparations were already complete, but a few adjustments had to be put in place to accommodate the larger cohort. Below is a list of items the School focused on for the second time to be ready to welcome back our Year 11 students.

Staff preparation and trainingEvery member of staff received training prior to the reopening of the campus. The training included the procedure to follow when entering the campus, how to maintain social distancing and a session focused on the Emergency Contingency Plan led by the School Leadership Team and COVID-19 protective measures run by our school nurse. This last training will be also offered to our students on Monday,

Nucleic acid testing (NAT)In order to maintain the health and safety of all staff and students, the Beijing Education Commission recommended that every member of staff on campus should have a NAT test conducted prior to the school opening and those who fail to have the test conducted to be forbidden from entering the campus.

Arrivals, Breaks and DeparturesThe schedule has been adjusted to ensure that Year 11 and Year 13 students do not directly interact with one another, to avoid potential contact. A limited number of students will be permitted to enter school premises at a time, this will include separate lunch and departure times.

Daily Routine ChecksEvery student and staff have been strictly following the six-step inspection when entering campus:

1. First Temperature Check

2. Confirm Staff / Student Identity by Checking ID Card and SCHOOL (GMIS) QR code

3. Check the Health Kit to verify the Green code and its validity for the Day

4. Observe the Teachers, Enrolled Students, and Staff’s Physical Condition

5. Ask if Feeling Unwell.

6. Apply Hand Sanitizer with No Contact

These steps are followed by additional temperature checks until lunchtime.

Cleaning and Disinfecting CampusOur SMD Department will continue to keep the campus sterile by cleaning and disinfecting outdoor areas, equipment and surfaces five times a day. All indoor areas will be ventilated three times a day for at least 30 minutes at a time before or after class in order to keep the indoor air circulating. The cleaning process will be completed each day by conducting an ultraviolet disinfection for 1 hour in every classrooms.

In order to maintain a safe distance between students, all the bathroom floors have been marked with a one-meter line.

Available resources for students (Masks/disinfectants)All students and staff should wear masks at all times and dispose of them in a specially allocated bin placed at different areas around campus.

Every student is specially allocated a N95 emergency masks for epidemic prevention in the classroom, in case of students' sudden physical discomfort or if they have forgotten theirs at home.

Our campus is installed with antiseptic liquids at different areas for students to easily access.

The AttendanceTo record attendance, Secondary school staff will be applying a hybrid model, where both on–campus and eLearning will be combined to cater to all the students’ and teachers’ needs, whether on campus or not. Attendance is mandatory for all students.

Students’ Interactions during PETo maintain social distancing, certain activities will be limited; these include playing invasion sports like basketball and football or striking and fielding games such as baseball.

Dance exercise, divided court sports like badminton, and target sports such as archery or golf will be the best way for students to continue to be physically active without being in contact.

Academic schedule for the upcoming weeksThe schedule will be adjusted to meet the students’ needs and to adjust to the current situation, with lessons having a reduced contact time. These changes will however not affect students learning process.

No Exams. What now?Due to the cancellation of IGCSE exams, teachers will be providing predictive grades to students. Therefore, for the next three weeks all IGCSE students will create portfolios to justify the grades which will be allocated to them with the help of their teachers. All projects and assessments will differ based on each teacher’s subject and their students’ needs.

To finish off the programme, teachers will be focusing on the Life Skills Programme where students will be taught about life in university, health and relationships, writing their resume, etc. To learn more about our Life Skills programme, click here.