A PRIMARY school that went ‘above and beyond’ for its pupils who were forced to learn from home has been nominated for a Proud of Barnsley award.

Staff at St Helen’s Primary School, in Monk Bretton, have been praised for their approach to home-schooling during the coronavirus outbreak.

Teachers offered live lessons over Google Classroom every single day for those who were forced to self-isolate during term time.

The school has recently undergone new leadership which has brought with it some new changes.

Nichola Smith, the executive headteacher at St Helen’s Primary, said that despite some obstacles, it has managed to keep students safe and learning.

She said: “Like most schools across the borough, it has been a very turbulent year but I feel like now we’ve really settled.

“We brought in a new leadership team in September and it’s really brought the school together during a difficult spell.

“Our main priority has been to make sure everyone is safe both in school and online and working towards a common goal.

“The pastoral staff were making welfare checks throughout the pandemic with our pupils and their families to make sure we maintained a sense of normality.

“Parents have played a huge part in adapting to the outbreak.

“Thanks to their feedback we started ‘Wellbeing Wednesday’ which focussed on mental health.

“This has gone down really well and is all thanks to the hard work of our brilliant parents.”

The staff’s efforts have landed them a nomination in this year’s Proud of Barnsley awards in the ‘School of the Year’ category.

“We’re absolutely thrilled about this nomination. To be recognised by those from our community is such a big boost for our team.

“It’s been great to get our pupils back into the school and continue to work towards positive changes.

“Thank you for people’s support.”