Vale of Glamorgan schools benefit from ISG safety app

Schools in the Vale of Glamorgan area will be given support on how to operate safely when they reopen later this month, through an app designed in-house by ISG originally for use across the construction industry.

We are currently working on a £21.5 million expansion of Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Morgannwg in Barry as well as developing three new 210-place primary schools in the Western Vale.

To comply with Welsh Government safety guidance during the coronavirus crisis, ISG created an app to capture new processes, procedures and innovations to enable operatives to work safely on construction sites.

The app has now been adapted for use in schools, which are set to reopen across Wales to some pupils from Monday 29 June.

It offers information and examples for introducing social distancing, as well as highlighting good practice in a range of scenarios such as travelling to school and inhabiting the classroom.

Primarily for school staff, the app can be accessed by scanning a QR code, which will be displayed on classroom walls and can also be opened by clicking a web link.

In addition to the app, schools were provided with resource packs, funded by the Vale of Glamorgan Council and procured/coordinated by ISG, containing signage, templates and guidance, as well as materials to support social distancing requirements.

ISG and the senior client team ensured the packages were delivered safely to some 60 schools throughout the Vale.

This builds on education resource packs, developed by ISG in partnership with the council, Bouygues, Morgan Sindall and AECOM, to support the school hubs which were operating during lockdown for the children of key workers.

The packs were delivered to the schools and included building maps, project plans and health and safety materials, plus outdoor activities for the children including how to build a bug hotel, a forest quiz, and sunflower wall.

Councillor Lis Burnett, Vale of Glamorgan Council Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration, said: “We are currently working in close partnership with contractors across the county, who are helping to improve school infrastructure as part of our 21st Century Schools programme of work.

“This is a further example of that collaboration, with ISG kindly adapting a tool that has allowed them to work safely on construction sites for use in schools.

“The wellbeing of children is our number one priority when schools go back, and this app is just one measure that will be introduced to ensure they are protected.”

Zoe Price, chief operating officer for ISG’s UK Construction business, said: “Building on the successful implementation of our digital resource to share best practice and innovation for safe working within the Covid-19 guidelines, we have adapted this industry-leading approach to the Welsh education sector, through our strategic partnership with Vale of Glamorgan Council.

“Ahead of schools reopening at the end of the month, this resource is an easily accessible and clear guide for school leadership teams on the practical measures that should be taken to ensure accommodation is Covid-19 compliant. 

“As construction has been one of the core sectors the government has supported to remain operational throughout the pandemic, we have adapted quickly to social distancing and enhanced hygiene regimes through collaboration and innovation. Sharing this knowledge and approach with schools, as they grapple with the significant challenges of reopening within the new normal, is entirely consistent with our industry’s partnering and open approach, and I’m delighted that schools within the Vale of Glamorgan and beyond will benefit.”