Schools that run out of space for students because of social distancing requirements will be setting up classrooms in public halls within the community.

At least one school has already started making plans to transfer classes to a hall owned by the Church, sources in the education sector said.

Others are looking at the possibility of making similar arrangements to accommodate all their students while sticking to the health authorities’ COVID-19 protocols.

Right now, an exercise is under way to establish the space available in hundreds of state school classrooms.

School management teams are also finalising class lists to assign rooms according to student group sizes.

But while space is not a big issue for the larger schools, as these tend to have large halls within the same premises that could be turned into classrooms, smaller schools will need to seek alternative solutions.

“In these cases, we will be looking at various options, including the use of other education buildings in the same locality or even properties owned by the Church,” one source heavily involved in the process told Times of Malta.

The makeshift classrooms will be equipped with all necessary equipment, including interactive whiteboards, so schooling can be conducted on as usual.

The places chosen will also be inspected to ensure safety measures are in place, the sources assured, adding that the state was working closely with the Church authorities on this matter.

We will be looking at various options, including the use of other education buildings

According to new protocols for the reopening of schools, student desks must be at least 1.5 metres apart.

This could prove a difficult measure to implement in some schools that don’t have large classrooms.

Some independent and Church schools are also believed to be struggling with this issue and may even have a problem finding alternative locations.

Teachers dismayed

The effort to create additional space in classrooms has not gone down well with teachers, though. Some have contacted Times of Malta to express shock at learning that a few of their resources had been destroyed when movers took away classroom cabinets.

Some said they had spent hundreds of euros from their own pocket in order to provide their students with good resources.

This photo was taken of cabinets removed from classrooms to make space for more desks. Some teachers have complained of damage.

Malta Union of Teachers president Marco Bonnici confirmed the union had received similar complaints. He said the issue had been highlighted to the health authorities.

Bonnici said most reports of such incidents came from kindergarten and early years teachers.

Movers have now been instructed not to shift any of the teachers’ items from the classes.

Students are set to return on September 28 after a long absence, starting last March.

They will be under instructions to wear masks and will be put into ‘bubbles’ that restrict interaction with other students.

Timetables are being amended that sees the teachers moving from one classroom to another and not the students.