When I think about my school I think about all the beautiful things and today was no exception. As I rounded the corner of the Technology block I was met by the view of our resplendent quad. The green of the trees stood brightly against the blue sky. Like many days when we arrive before the students, on a warm summer day, there is an enormous sense of calm and well being in those moments with the warm sun gently heating your cheeks. Today I stood for a moment and drank it in. I thought about all the plans for the day – some wonderful, some tough. I miss this place. I miss those moments when it is calm like this, but more so I miss the energy and hustle and bustle that is brought by a school full of children and the staff who care for them.
This week would’ve been the first of the big exam weeks. A time that I look forward to and dread in equal measure. I look forward to seeing the culmination of five years of hard work. Knowing that many of our students are well prepared and ready. That they will go through those doors into their exam and smash it. But the exam period is also a nightmare for logistics and support for our students. Yes, we look after the most vulnerable – but we know who they are and have always supported them. But there are always the surprises. The students who have seemed to be fine; taking everything in their stride, who suddenly and without warning have a meltdown.
Regardless of these things I miss it. I miss the staff – the source of so much joy and laughter and camaraderie. Pulling together when times are hard and celebrating together when we achieve individual and team successes.
I am sure that many of you, like me, remember your school like this as we continue to tiptoe our way through the pandemic mire. We can often easily block out the bad and focus on the good. It is cathartic and important. As we move through our 7th or 8th week (I’m losing count) we need to remember the good times and continue to support each other, but it is also vital that we start to address the reality of what is going to be the ‘new normal’ – at least for a while………..
The perception: our memories of school resplendent in the sunshine
Reality
I thought long and hard about how much of my thinking around the reality of the ‘new normal’ I should share with my staff and decided in the end to come back to principles. Honesty and transparency. I respect them as professionals and adults and therefore I needed to trust my instincts that they would want to know.
The reality is stark. When I walked into our Covid-19 reopening ready classrooms I was sad. Socially distanced classrooms with adequate 2 x 3 m teacher-only sections marked. Conversations with the site team about one-way systems, rewritten fire procedures and the clarity of signage. Channelling students within their ‘bubble’ whereby they do not come into contact with the other students groups or teachers outside their bubble, constantly weighing up the risks. It didn’t feel much like the place of inclusive care that OFSTED wrote about our school just 8 weeks ago.
The Reality: the new normal (at least for the time being)
We knew we were going to have to work incredibly hard on student (and staff) welfare whenever we were asked to return because we are in the midst of a global pandemic. Today I realised that we are going to have to work a lot harder still. Our new normal will be different to your perception. It is likely to be very hard.
However, that is the joy of our school. When I reflect back to the perception I have of the school that I have outlined above I am filled with hope, joy and a steely determined optimism. My reflections reinforced what I know. That in times of crisis, with our team, in our school we pull together and we achieve the very very best for our students and ourselves. Our students are lucky. Our school is special. Together, we’ve got this.
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