A SUMMER school run by the community is seeking to negate the impact Covid-19 has had on pupils’ education.

After its roaring success last year, the Barton Community Association (BCA) has relaunched the Sunny Smiles Summer School.

Initially, 40 pupils aged between eight and 11 joined, while 12 to 16-year-olds started on Monday.

Children are provided with a free breakfast and lunch.

Read again: Pupils play catch up at summer school

New this year is youth and community education worker Tyisha Akins, who joined in May and has taken the lead on the summer school.

She said: “I put together the programme and what the children will do, all the external providers and workshops, and recruitment for teachers.

“A big part of it all was getting to know the area, the parents and young people, and what they wanted.

“I really enjoyed it and was excited to get everything up and running.

“It’s very rewarding and a massive achievement putting all this together and makes all the effort worthwhile.

“I just want to make sure young people in Barton have a safe place to socialise and learn what they’ve missed during the lockdowns.

“I wanted there to be a variety of activities, and for us to be out and doing things.

“It’s been difficult for children not having consistency – they’ve lost a lot of education and social interaction so it’s important to provide them with a fun classroom setting.”

See also: Ofsted says primary school ‘requires improvement’

In the background has again been Sue Holden, the BCA’s secretary.

She said: “It’s slightly less intense this year but we know there’s a gap to be filled due to the amount of time the children have missed.

“The first couple of weeks is a chance to catch up, and then there’ll be recreational activities for the rest of the time.

“We’re working with the University of Oxford physics department, the Natural History Museum, Oxford City Football Club – there’s a variety of things happening.

“We’re trying to get the children active as mental and physical health go hand in hand.

“Tyisha came to the post in May and has done a phenomenal job in putting everything together.

“Staff have returned this year, which is good and shows that they’re enjoying it as much as the children.

“Projects like this enable us to improve the quality of life for everybody connected to Barton.

“We want to offer the children a positive experience and I love when we’re able to do things like this – I find it very rewarding when the children say they can’t wait to come back the next day.”