Watch: inside an Edinburgh school hub for children of front line workers

Reporter Catherine Salmond goes behind the scenes at one of Edinburgh’s school hubs where children of key workers are finding a temporary home during lockdown.

Everything is where it should be, from the tables in the dinner hall to the lost property basket in reception, spilling over with forgotten about cardigans and gym shoes.

But one thing is missing at Juniper Green Primary - and that is noise.

The pictures of the hundreds of children who usually fill this Edinburgh school with chatter and laughter decorate the main reception, each child’s face smiling out from a bright green leaf that adorns a large tree on the wall.

Pupils and staff at the hub at Juniper Green Primary, Edinburgh.

Their little faces offer a stark reminder that school life is very much on pause right now - for them and many thousands more across the Capital.

But something pretty amazing, albeit relatively quiet, is taking place at Juniper Green in their absence, as small handfuls of pupils from across the city arrive each day to make the school their temporary base as it flings open its doors as one of eight hubs offering places to children of key workers during the pandemic.

There are 49 pupils on the register, with around 25 to 35 attending each day from between 8am and 6pm. The set-up is straight forward, with groups of no more than six pupils - up to S2 level - being assigned to a member of staff who helps them complete home-learning set by their own school. Siblings are placed together as they are not required to follow the two-metre social distancing rule. The hub is not a ‘school’ in its recognised sense, as teachers are not leading traditional classes, rather offering childcare and help with learning tasks.

“It’s a place for the children to come to be happy and safe,” explains Alexa Pope, depute head at Juniper Green Primary and one of the leading lights at the hub.

On paper it sounds very relaxed and do-able – and the ‘happy’ and ‘safe’ boxes certainly do seem to be getting ticked if the positive parent feedback is anything to go by – but the challenges facing staff are clear as one group of six is seen making its way out of the dinner hall for some time in the playground. A small boy goes to give a teacher a cuddle, but is told no and gently pushed away as she steps back with a regretful look on her face.

Social distancing is without doubt the biggest challenge facing hub staff here at Juniper Green and one that raises countless questions as the lifting of the lockdown and the eventual reopening of schools is discussed across Scotland.

“I find the two-metre rule very hard,” says Charlotte Bennett, a P6 teacher from Clovenstone Primary now based at the hub on a rota basis. “After all, teaching is a job where you do work very closely with children, and I am one of those teachers who does like a cuddle.”

Here at Juniper Green, social distancing rules have not only dictated the sizes of groups but that only one at a time can be in certain areas of the building.

Luckily this school is well served with space, meaning hub children rotate between time in classrooms, the main hall, the playground and the nature garden. Not all Edinburgh schools enjoy the luxury of size or such facilities.

“Social distancing is the biggest problem,” says Alexa as discussions understandably turn to the eventual reopening of Edinburgh’s schools. “How do you manage it? We will get there, but I think it will have to be about getting it right for each school, for their pupils and their building.

“There will not be a one size fits all solution. Much like home-schooling has been approached differently by each school, each one will have to make it right for them.”

But for now, here at the hub – named The Kindness Club@Juniper Green by its attendees – staff are doing all they can to ensure government advice is followed and children are safe and happy.

Cleanliness is huge, with everyone required to wash their hands before and after every activity, with janitorial staff maintaining strict routines each day.

The hub has also welcomed a handful of children of non-key workers since the Easter holidays, identified by education heads and social workers as youngsters who would benefit from a place here.

The move by the city council has ensured that many vulnerable pupils are enjoying the structure, safety and education every child deserves.

Everyone at the hub – including members of staff – is offered lunch cooked on site by chef Herman Grijalba - whose meals are spoken about very highly - and films are often shown late on in the day for some down time for the tired-out children, many of whom are attending every day for the full 10 hours.

The school building may be quieter than usual, but it feels like a happy place to be.

It is impossible to know exactly when and how the children will make a return to their usual schools though.

With so much uncertainty, staff at the hub are already preparing for the huge challenge, not only regarding the practicalities of a return and all the problems social distancing can throw up, but for the mental well-being of the city’s young people and their families.

“We are looking at a recovery plan,” explains Alison Humphreys, who heads up the hub in her role as the council’s quality improvement education officer. “It’s all about mental health, of teachers, staff and pupils. We cannot return and simply resume as so much has changed.”

There is no question it would seem about these teachers’ dedication, their passion for young people, or their determination to continue the good work of the hub - all with one eye tentatively on life after the lockdown.

Siblings whose parents are on the front line of the Covid-19 pandemic

“Without this childcare neither myself or my husband would be able to go to work in a time when we are most needed,” explains Juniper Green mum Cecilia Buell, an ICU nurse at the RIE.

Her three children, Sofia, Nico and Maia attend the hub twice a week while she and her husband Riven, a GP, are both at work.

“The teachers make the hub a happy place to be, allowing us to drop our children off in the confidence they will be well cared for and enjoy their day,” she says.

Making new friends from other schools has been a highlight for Sofia, P6, who along with her siblings is a pupil at Juniper Green Primary, as well as meeting different teachers. “We get to play outside a lot and get fresh air too. I really like the school hub.”

For her brother Nico, who is in P4, the highlight is the school dinners. “They are really nice. I love them and the chef is really generous too.” He also enjoys the ‘random pick’ of staff and children he meets each time he attends.

His younger sister, Maia, who is in P3, says she finds the two-metre rule difficult at the hub, especially if a teacher is trying to explain work to her. “I have one friend from school at the hub too and I find it really hard to keep to the two metres with her,” she says. But much like her sister and brother, she enjoys attending and has made the most of the recent warm weather outside in the playground.

“I am so appreciative that the hub exists,” adds Cecilia. “The kids love it and it’s definitely their bit of normal.”

Teachers showing real dedication to young people during lockdown

Philippa Turnbull is one of hundreds of teachers adjusting to the challenges the covid-19 pandemic has brought to her job.

In her pre-lockdown life she spent her days at Juniper Green Primary, proudly leading its P3b class.

When the school closed its doors on March 20 under Scottish Government orders, she was one of hundreds of members of staff from across Edinburgh who quickly signed up to help in the city’s temporary hubs, where children of key workers would be based.

And now, she finds herself back at Juniper Green on a rota at the hub, while also meeting the needs of her P3 pupils whom she is in regular contact to guide their home-learning.

Philippa admits she and her colleagues were apprehensive about how the hub would work - and how pupils and staff would protect their health - as well as how teachers would juggle the needs of their existing pupils, to ensure continuity in their learning.

“But it has worked,” she smiles.

“At first though, I felt I was being very mean with regards to social distancing. But the children do understand that it is not us choosing to do it, rather that we just cannot be close to them.”

Philippa agrees that the pandemic has been a challenging point in her career, and that of countless teachers across the city.

Each week, as well as working at the hub, she comes up with new ways to keep her pupils engaged with their studies, by sending parents electronic work packs twice a week.

She also takes the time to record herself, talking to her pupils, setting them challenges, reading stories and sharing news from her lockdown.

But how does she feel about the schools reopening?

“We never thought any of this at the hub would be possible,” she says. “But we have done it. We will get there.”