Ms Holder, Mulgrave Headteacher, and Cllr Thorpe
Ms Holder, Mulgrave Headteacher, and Cllr Thorpe

Published: Monday, 8th March 2021

The Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich welcomed children back to the classroom this morning as schools reopened with safety measures in place.

Across the borough pupils will return to face-to-face learning following months of remote teaching for all but vulnerable children and those of key-workers.  

A number of measures have been put in place to protect teachers and students, including regular COVID-19 testing. 

Going forward, secondary school students will be asked to take rapid twice-weekly COVID-19 tests to ensure the virus does not spread.  

All staff at both secondary and primary schools will also be taking twice-weekly tests.  

Councillor Danny Thorpe visited Mulgrave Primary School in Woolwich to thank staff for their hard work throughout the pandemic. 

Cllr Thorpe Thorpe said: “It was a delight to see the excitement on the faces of not just our students, but teachers too. They’ve worked flat out during the pandemic and I can’t thank them enough for all they have done. 

“The decision has been made by the government to reopen schools all at once, and teachers have gone above and beyond to ensure that they are ready this week to welcome pupils back into the classrooms. 

“We’ll be looking at school data very closely and we will be open with residents if there are concerns – but thankfully the rate of infection has come down in recent weeks.  

“To keep those numbers down we need secondary school students to play their part over the coming months and take COVID-19 tests regularly.  

“Tests are safe, quick and easy. Please take them if you are asked and help reward the hard work of our fantastic teachers by following the advice.” 

Schools will have unique procedures in place to keep everyone safe, ranging from staggered timetables to different entrances. 

For more information on how schools are reopening please visit or Back To School page or visit your school’s website