SCHOOL teachers burst into song in a musical message of support for pupils learning in lockdown.

Staff at Portslade Aldridge Community Academy belted out a rendition of the Motown hit I’ll Be There in a video for students sent home to study amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The clip shows staff at the secondary school in Portslade miming the words in a working-from-home karaoke montage – infused with a smattering of silliness.

French teacher Ian Bothwell is seen singing into a washing up brush instead of a microphone, while English teacher Catherine Bradley springs from behind a curtain and begins a duet with physics and biology teacher Rob Zeitlin.

To top it off, head teacher Mark Poston appears at the end of the video singing in front of a green screen of a tropical beach.

Jack Franklin-Martin, a pupil in Year 11, said students had loved the video. “It made us feel like the teachers haven’t just left us now school is over – they’re still there looking out for us,” he said.

His mother Laurie Franklin-Johnson said the video was so kind it “almost brought a tear to the eye”.

“Jack and his twin brother Charlie absolutely loved it,” she said.

“It really made them laugh – some of the teachers put themselves way out of their comfort zone for them.

“It was particularly poignant because everyone in Year 11 had been working really hard in the run up to their exams before having to go home. Suddenly, that was it. It’s still a bit of a shock.”

Laurie said headteacher Mr Poston had been calling up to check on students and discuss their next steps.

He has offered to help Charlie, who wants to study engineering, and Jack, who is planning to do his A-levels at Shoreham Academy.

Laurie said the teachers have gone above and beyond to help students continue their education while everyone is at home.

One teacher, Dean Flynn, who appears at the start of the video, has even been posting riddles on Instagram and TikTok to keep students engaged.

The video closes with the message: “Staff will reach out to you in whatever way we can while we’re all working from home.”

  • The coronavirus Sussex Crisis Fund has been set up to help those affected by the pandemic. The Argus’s charity and American Express have each donated £50,000 to kick-start the appeal. Grants will usually be for up to £5,000. More information is available at www.sussexgiving. org.uk/apply. To donate visit www.totalgiving.co.uk/appeal/sussexcrisisfund