When the coronavirus outbreak led to all schools being closed untll further notice, a mild sense of panic may have set in with some parents – but Lorisa Talbot knew exactly what to do.
The mother from Chalfont St Giles turned a caravan at the famlly home into a classroom for her three children. The novel idea has created a storm on social media and been featured in the national press since she shared it recently.
Perhaps predictably, the idea proved popular with the mobile school’s first pupils.
Before it opened for its new purpose, Lorisa wrote: “The kids seem pretty excited to start on Monday as they don’t have to work as hard at school.”
Like many parents, Lorisa had closely followed the developing coronavirus situation and decided to withdraw her three children Freya, nine, Ryan, six, and Harry, five before the government announced the closure of all schools in March.
She explained: “It was inevitable it was going to happen, everything started to be cancelled and things seemed to be moving far too slower. I thought it was safer for everybody. It gave us a head start and the opportunity to think about how it was going to work. The caravan is just sitting there unused and it gives us an environment separate from home.
“It gives us an environment separate from home and it’s just sitting there unused, It’s a lovely space and they’ve really enjoyed it. We have a lovely morning in there but don’t spend all day.”
After the family get the day underway with PE with Joe Wicks, Freya spends a couple of hours with her mother in the classroom studying maths and English before her two brothers come to join her.
Lorisa revealed the children all had a say in the new classroom.
She added: “We have all their books and games in one space. They chose the games and Roald Dahl books to start with but we’ll switch them all around and they’ll chose the new selection. It’s important that they have fun and enjoy what they are doing rather than it all be about structure.”
Lorisa said even though things seem to be going well in the caravan classroom, the three children are looking forward to getting back to Chalfont St Giles Village School.
They normally take the caravan on road trips around Europe and had planned to go to Lake Garda this summer.
She said: “We had a lovely long Easter holiday and they are missing their clubs and friendships but we#re happy in bubble, doing what we think is right. The village has a lovely community spirit everybody knows each other and I’m looking forward to giving everyone a hug.”
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