Six months ago, we'd never heard of it. Now, six-year-olds can sketch¹ coronavirus molecules³ from memory.

 

六个月前，我们压根就没听说过它。现在，六岁的孩子可以凭记忆勾画出冠状病毒分子。

 

"Little bacteria bugs⁴ that make you sick. That's corona²."

 

"I know about it from the news, my girlfriends and the teacher."

 

For these pupils at Springboard Primary, going back to school comes with five new rules.

 

Only pupils and teachers are allowed inside, scrub every time you enter the building - there's one of these pumps at every entrance.

 

Use shields designed to reduce the spread of germs.

 

Year groups must attend on different days. In some schools, they've split the classes to reduce the number of children in the building.

 

Older pupils - from age six - must stay 1.5 metres away from their teachers. These are lessons they hope will save lives.

 

For the younger ones, practically nothing's changed. But teachers like Miss Daisy are working behind the scenes.

 

I think it's very important for the children that everything is as normal as possible. We have some new things, new rules into the schools, but the most important [thing] is that they're happy and they get comfort and they can be a child.

 

This feels unusually relaxed. Especially compared to elsewhere in Europe - in Belgium, where the teachers are wearing visors, in Denmark where the children can't hug their best friends. But here in the Netherlands, they believe the benefits of giving children this freedom outweigh⁵ the risks.

 

At least ninety-nine Dutch primary school teachers have tested positive for Covid-19 so far this month. They're still monitoring the infection rates.

 

Every one of these pupils told us they're happy to be back in class - something to celebrate. They're starting to find a way to live and learn through the pandemic.

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