TEACHERS received plenty of support from Swindon parents as children headed back to the classroom this morning.

Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils were welcomed back, with two-thirds of the borough’s schools accepting at least one year group.

This morning the Advertiser went to Goddard Park Primary School to speak to parents about the return after 10 weeks of lockdown.

Debbie Doyle, who works as a teaching assistant at Goddard Park, believes now is the right time for children to come back.

She said: “My son was really struggling with lockdown and he’s in reception. Being isolated really did affect him quite a lot.

“The school has done a really good job of putting plans in place, I’m more than happy for him to come back.

“For Swindon, I think it’s the right time for children to come back.

“A lot of my friends have the same views as me, that it’s time for the children to get back to as much normality as they’re going to get at the moment.”

But Debbie added if there is a second wave of coronavirus in the UK then schools will need to be closed again as soon as possible.

She explained: “The safest thing would be to close again. If there is any coronavirus in the school then it’s looking at sending all the children home.

“For the government they would definitely need to be shutting schools again if it does spike. But for the time being, I’m more than happy for him to come in.”

Another parent, Rebecca Titcombe, was dropping her daughter off at the school.

Rebecca works as a receptionist at the Great Western Hospital so is classed as a key worker, meaning her child has been going to school as normal.

She said: “I’m alright about it, I’m a key worker so my kids have been coming to school anyway so I feel quite relaxed about it in general.

“They wouldn’t have opened if they hadn’t made sure everyone was being as safe as possible.

“It might be a bit too soon, but they have to start somewhere.”

Cheryl Price, a maternity support worker, said that she is placing her trust in the school staff but admitted it has been a tricky 10 weeks trying to keep the children entertained.

She said: “I’m all for kids going back to school, I’m putting my trust in all the teachers to ensure that they are safe but it’s all new to everybody and us parents are a little bit confused. But we will get through it.

“The past 10 weeks have been okay, it’s just keeping the children entertained and trying to do school work with them.

“Some kids are getting very bored and it is hard to keep them entertained, whether it’s schoolwork or other fun things. They are getting bored at home, there are not many places for them to go.

“I think the best place for them is to be in school.”