SCHOOL pupils and teaching staff have had to adapt to new ways of learning and preparing lessons since the spread of coronavirus forced many institutions across the country to close.

But what’s it really like for those educating at home, and how are those still attending school managing to cope?

Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic College in Burnley closed for the majority of pupils on March 20, however vulnerable children and children of key workers who require child supervision have been continuing to attend lessons there.

Here are some of their stories:

Year seven pupil Aaliyah Lawrence says while she’s missing her friends, she’s already got into a routine of doing her schoolwork at home.

She said: “It does actually feel quite normal. I get up at my normal time, get dressed but obviously not in my uniform and stick to school hours.

“I go onto Show My Homework which tells me what to do for the day and I just get on with it.

“I enjoy the PE too where we do 20 minutes of exercise a day - and with the weather being good it’s nice to be outside.

“I have breaks and lunchtime at the time I would at school and then it’s back on my computer.

“I am missing my friends but we are in touch and so far, it’s working well.”

With no schools sitting GCSE examinations due to the coronavirus, maths teacher Steven Cooper is making sure the current Year 11s are kept busy preparing for A-levels at home.

He said: “Lots of our pupils intend to study maths next year and I felt it would be great for these students to get a head start on their studies.

“I’m currently videoing several topic areas which will give them the best start to Year 12.”

Religious studies teacher Teresa Burtles is teaching from home, and as well as having her own two children to look after, she’s making sure those from Blessed Trinity are keeping up to date with their learning.

She said: “It’s a crazy time, in the whole of my 25 years I have never experienced anything like this and it is mad.

“We obviously had a short time to prepare for this but the pupils have really impressed me.

“I couldn’t believe the majority not only responded to the work, but messaged me back to say they had learned a lot from doing it.

“I’m so proud of them.

“The pupils have really responded to it, along with their parents, and that has been a great help.”

Head of Year seven Laura Murray is still working at the school and said life is very different, but despite the uncertainty, the pupils still attending, of which there are less than 20 each day, are studying hard.

She said: “For the pupils who are in school their routine is pretty much the same as we wanted to keep it as normal as we could.

“There is a form group and prayers and then they go into separate classrooms for year groups and start Show My Homework just as the pupils are doing at home.

“They do have their uniforms on and they have breaks and lunch as with the school timetable, but it’s a very different atmosphere.

“The corridors are usually full of hustle and bustle and now they are quiet and it does take some getting used to.”

Miss Murray says it has been tricky but there have also been a lot of positives. “Lancashire County Council dropped off food parcels for those pupils on free school meals - there was a week’s worth each - and we gave them to pupils in school and then dropped them off with parents of children who need them in the local community.”

Year nine McCaulie Collins is still in school too as both his parents are key workers in the NHS.

McCaulie admits he doesn’t mind, and is enjoying working hard: “For me, this does work well as I can get easily distracted by my friends so this helps me keep my head down and concentrate.

“I don’t mind coming into school with smaller numbers.

“At break and lunch, we get to chat but it’s all about social distancing, we can only sit two to a table.

“I enjoy English and maths, but I do miss some of my teachers.

“My mum works for the NHS so she is always on at me to social distance, wash my hands and so on, so I understand the importance of helping to fight the coronavirus.”

Assistant headteacher Rebecca Stevens said: “I find it quite incredible how quickly all schools have adapted to the challenge of completely re-thinking the way they deliver their curricula in a matter of days.

“At Blessed Trinity, we are very proud of how hard our staff have worked in launching our remote learning programme and we have been overwhelmed by the positive support from pupils, parents and carers.

“By 9am on day one, more than 800 of pupils in Year seven to 10 had logged onto Show My Homework, as well as 150 of our Year 11 leavers," she said.

“It’s been a great team effort and reflects the fantastic sense of community at our school.”

As well as normal lessons, pupils are also being offered weekly pastoral support in the form of strategies to help their mental well-being and health.