Although we have had some conflicting reports of late, this week Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, announced that the plan is for all children to return to school by September.
Going the distance with learning
Whilst a return to school does, of course, signal a return to some kind of normality for the UK, safety will still be of some concern and, we can expect classrooms and assembly halls to look a little different to what we’re used to. Education authorities are currently looking into different ways of re-opening safely including measures such as staggered classes and smaller classes. It’s also unlikely that ‘mass gatherings’ in school halls and gyms will be a feature as, at the moment, the thinking is that social distancing will still be in place at one metre for children and two metres for adults. Other practicalities may include limitations on the handling of learning materials such as books, pens and pencils and regular sanitisation of these items.
While it’s great that children will be able to resume their learning and the social contact which comes with it, there are many other factors to take into account. Playgrounds and canteens may have to be monitored much more closely to ensure that distancing is adhered to and, travel in terms of school trips and field days may present additional problems. In the same vein, paying for school lunches and trips will present a unique set of challenges as, just like in shops and takeaways, the handling and passing of cash will remain a thing of the past for quite some time yet.
Dirty money
Cash and, in particular, notes, is known as a fomite which is basically an object which is likely to carry pathogens which can be transferred from person to person. In normal circumstances, it’s a good idea to wash your hands after handling money and, of course, COVID-19 takes this to a whole new level. Stores and drive throughs have tackled this problem by switching to contactless card payment in order to limit hand to hand contact. Unfortunately, this solution is unlikely to be tenable for schools as it would involve children having to bring a parent’s card into school or the use of pre-paid cards aimed at children which can be hugely expensive and aren’t an affordable or practical solution for all parents – not to mention the common risks of card loss and possible fraud. Thankfully, Ordo has an A+ solution for schools and parents.
Top of the class
Ordo is the new generation of payment solutions – and the perfect answer to the school conundrum. A quick and easy non-contact low cost payment system, school administrators can create Smart Requests for payments using a parent’s email address or mobile telephone number and send it within seconds with an attached invoice, itemised bill, or even a photo of today’s school dinner. The parent will then be notified of the request and can authorise payment instantly from their bank account where Ordo has set up the payment.
Ordo is so simple to use that, even the least techy of parents will be able to quickly pay for trips, lunches and other sundries at the click of a button. As we navigate our way into the new normal, Ordo makes sure that distance is no barrier to learning.