Barbara Academy - Impact of Coronavirus & Our Response
2020
Impact
- Pupils, who used to get meals provided at Barbara Academy, are now at home and at risk of going hungry
- While they are at home, the lack of technology means they are also unable to access the government's substantial Digital Learning Programme (DLP), aimed at supporting e-learning at home, when schools are closed - putting them at a significant disavantage to many children in urban settings
- These children cannot access the e-learning provided by the government because their parents lack TV, radio or smartphones, which are the gadgets used to access the e-learning. The government assumes that all children are learning, but the truth is that no learning takes place in such homes, yet they will all sit for the same exams in due course
Our Response
- Just like in other countries, it is not clear how long this crisis will last, but there is a need to adjust so that we can manage the current situation as well as possible and more so plan for the future
- During the current school closure, we are continuing to pay Staff Salaries and fund a Feeding Programme for the families of Barbara Academy pupils
- We are now seeking to support Edward Wata and his YAWOSUP team through the:-
1. Provision of affordable gadgets for each family i.e. smartphone (for older pupils) or radio (for younger pupils) to enable the children to access the government’s e-learning resources
2. Provision of farm input to the parents to do proper farming that will enable them to have food in four months’ time. Food is essential for the children’s learning
3. Provision of learning materials for children while at home
4. Provision of relief food to support the needy families at this time of crisis.
SEE FUNDRAISING - PROJECT PROPOSAL
2021 Update
To support reopening of the school in January, thanks to Rehema Trust donors faithfully maintaing their support, extra measures were put in place at Barbara Academy to create a Covid-19 secure environment, including:-
Additional Gate Security
Facemask Wearing & Temperature Checks
Handwashing Stations & Hand Sanitiser
Thanks to the great efforts of Edward Wata and his team, Barbara Academy (full name Barbara Leighton Academy) was granted Full Registration status in April by the Ministry of Education.
Since then, various staff changes, including the appointment of a very experienced Head Teacher, has ensured the continued strengthening of the Teaching Staff Team as Barbara Academy expands further with the construction of an additional classroom to accommodate a new year group.
By way of further encouragement, as evidence of the school's enhanced local reputation, in response to requests for school places from families living further away, the hiring of Minibus Transport (a Matatu), with funding shared by the parents and the school, has enabled the recruitment of additional fee-paying pupils to Barbara Academy.
2022
The wider cost of living agenda, discussed so much here in the UK currently, is directly affecting the running costs of Barbara Academy – specifically, the Feeding Programme, a vital contribution to the health and wellbeing of the pupils, and Transport Costs, concerning the hiring of a bus to transport those pupils, who have been attracted from further afield by the growing reputation of Barbara Academy for providing quality education and consistently good test results.