Reflections from the
Campus & Operations Managers
Mr Mhlanga Nombewu & Mr Graeme Broster
This year has been one for the record books in Health & Safety at schools. No-one ever imagined that the cleaning and ground staff would learn new, different skills and accept challenges which varied so greatly from their usual job descriptions. In 2020, our support staff have become the first line of defence in making the campus a safe environment for the staff and learners of Rustenburg Girls’ High School.
Training took place on how to record temperatures and capture data on iPads, suitable cleaning protocols, and how to sanitise classrooms between lessons. We had to screen everyone who came on to campus, fog every classroom at least once a day, and make sure that we adhered to all the Education Department Standard Operating Procedures for COVID-19 containment. We had a soft start with first the administrative staff returning, then the teaching staff, followed by the Matrics’ return. As a team, we could tweak and perfect our systems and procedures in preparation for the other grades’ staggered return.
COVID-19
20
20 COVID-19
12
20
20
COVID-19 Reflections COVID-19 Reflections
Preparing to return from lockdown began long before staff and learners ever thought about coming back to school – we waded through volumes of regulation and medical advice so as to formulate a strategy for managing the safety of everyone on campus. A COVID-19 Management Policy was developed, and procedures put in place to manage a variety of scenarios. Personal protective equipment had to be sourced and secured, along with crates of bleach and hand sanitiser. The campus staff came to school earlier than anyone else to clean and sanitise everything in preparation for the staff and learners returning.
13
