A LONG-STANDING partnership between a York school and a much-loved community group has seen nearly 1,500 children tested for Covid-19 ahead of their return to the classroom.

Ahead of schools returning tomorrow pupils across York and North Yorkshire have been getting tested for Covid-19 and for many in education it’s proved something of a Herculean task.

At All Saints RC School, which has just short of 1,500 pupils on roll, they have used their existing links with the nearby Railway Institute (RI) in Queen Street to get the job done.

All Saints head Sharon Keelan-Beardsley, pictured below, said: “All Saints is a city centre school on a split site and therefore space is at a premium. When the Government announced that we had to test our young people before their return to school, it was not only going to be a huge logistical challenge, as it has been for all schools, but for us it was also a challenge in terms of venue. We wanted the students to be able to access a full curriculum on their return and using our hall and gym would have severely compromised this.

“We already use the facilities at the RI for badminton lessons and so have developed a great partnership over the years. Dermot and the Trustees of the charity who run the RI have been extremely kind and generous in allowing us to use their facilities. Without their support all of our students would have required the use of local testing sites, which puts increased pressure on the system.”

York Press:

Heather Robertson, chairperson of the Queen Street management team said: “The York RI Sports and Leisure Centre is delighted to accommodate our friends from All Saints School to use our facility for their Covid-19 testing.

“We have had a great partnership with All Saints over the years and being able to support them by offering the facility as a safe place for them to have their PE sessions and undertake the mammoth testing task was the least we could do.

“Sport is such a great way for young people to let off steam, interact with their friends and enjoy some semblance of normality in a very abnormal time. Crucially, it is well known to be a great benefit to their mental health. The RI’s whole purpose for being is to promote sport in this way and in particular to increase young people’s access to these activities.

“Now more than ever partnerships like these are so important to keep everyone going, and we feel very lucky to have great friends at All Saints.”