Although these are unprecedented times, some things have not changed. That includes the nervous excitement of going back to school. There was the stationery stock up, the furious labelling and the laying out of clothes the night before – and that was just the teachers. But in other ways the return to school this year has been unlike anything experienced before by teachers and pupils.
When schools were closed in March, and we sent children on their way with a reassuring wave and broken promises of “see you in a while”, we had no idea that we would only be seeing them through the medium of Teams or Zoom for months on end.
There followed a challenging period of switching to remote learning, which looked different in every school in the country. There was a catalogue of Department of Education (DfE) guidance, a variety of scientific reports and a host of cries to get children back in to school – none of which I want to dwell on for fear of rehashing old arguments. I won’t dare mention August and exam results either.
Yet here we are in September, with schools open, children back in and parents starting to go about their “new normal”. And I, for one am utterly delighted.
I am a Head of two independent schools in London, and a vice-chair of governors for a primary Academy. While the remote learning may have divided the sector, it is safe to say that the September opening has been the great leveller across schools. We all face the same logistical challenges: hand-washing, keeping small people apart, staggering the day, and reassuring parents. But, I would argue that the challenges are eclipsed by the positives.
Children are the heartbeat of schools. Whether it is the four-year-old boy taking his first tentative steps in the world of education, or the eighteen-year-old girl considering the opportunities that arise from a successful school career, they are the life of every educational institution, with their laughter and determination to question everything you are telling them. Schools without children are like cars without engines; galleries without art work; theatres without applause: they are lifeless, soulless and purposeless.
Ask most teachers who delivered learning online and they will tell you that the thing they missed the most was the live interaction with children, and the camaraderie of the staffroom. We needed to get back in to school, and it needed to be a success.
A week in and I genuinely feel it has been a success. Many parents have reported how reassured they felt by lengthy risk assessments and a wealth of information about the new logistics. Staff have taken their time to make their classrooms warm and inviting while still complying with the latest guidance. Leaders had pored over every updated release from the DfE, tweaked their plans for the umpteenth time, and ensured the highest levels of safety.
Then the children came. Teachers were prepared for tears, for fear and for anxiety, but as children so often do, they proved us wrong. Of course, there were those who were anxious, and they were cared for with genuine love and concern. Overall, I was bowled over by the numbers who bounded through the front door, took sanitising in their stride, followed the one way system and just cracked on with it. Even the youngest children, for whom this was day one in every sense, left their parents at the gate, hung up their bags and jumped straight in to their classrooms with determination, excitement and wonder.
Children are, and will always be, far more resilient, flexible and positive than we give them credit for. Adults could learn a lot from them.
You needn’t look far on social media this weekend to see how many staff are reflecting positively on that first week back. Exhausted? For sure. There are a few more tweaks to iron out, especially when it comes to staggered lunches.
These are, I suspect, the overriding positive sentiments across the sector, across the age ranges and across the country.
So, anyone tempted to peddle unfounded fears based on anonymous voices should look in real schools at real pupils and decide from there whether the wider reopening of school has been a success. The happy faces at home time last week would indicate to me that it has been – and long may that continue.
Clemmie Stewart is Senior Head of Prep Schools at a South West London day school, having worked as a senior leader in the state system. She is also a vice-chair of Governors in an academy. She also has a podcast with Dr Emma Kell, talking about all things education.
