Coronavirus restrictions have been the push we needed to do things differently
And some of the changes we'll be sticking with, says headteacher Emma Meadus
- by Emma Meadus
There’s no doubt that September’s return to school was different. Nerves and excitement are normal, of course, but this year we were all a bit more anxious than usual.
Instead of being away for just six weeks, for some children and staff it was more like six months. On top of that, we’ve all had to learn new behaviours and ways of working.
It’s a lot to deal with, but deal with it we have. Onwards and upwards, as they say.
The first thing that struck me about having all the children back in school is just how good it is to hear the whole school playing outside again (even if it is in socially distanced bubbles). There’s nothing quite like the sound of happy children playing together to stop you in your tracks and make you take stock of what matters.
If I’m getting bogged down in my office with all the risk assessments, finances and hand sanitiser orders, I go outside for a few minutes to listen to and watch the children play and remind myself what it’s really all about.
It’s still a bit weird though, to be honest: no assembly, no school dinners in the hall and, worst of all, no singing together.
There’s lots of brilliant stuff going on in class bubbles, but that feeling of ‘whole schoolness’ and community is still missing. We’re doing our best to make up for it with virtual assemblies, emails and Zoom chats, but it can’t replace real face-to-face contact.
Having said that though, the situation with coronavirus has forced us to think differently and be innovative in our problem-solving. We’ve discovered that there are some things we like better now than before.
As whole-school playtimes are not allowed right now, we’re using parts of our grounds we’ve never used before for playtime, like the front-of-school garden area.
The children love it and it’s so good to see the area used; to see children watering the vegetables; weaving on the loom; playing around the trees. Why have we never done this before?
We transformed our Y1 classroom to cater for coronavirus rules. Initially, stripping out the excess furniture and resources was awful. Having children sitting in rows at this young age just felt wrong.
With a bit of creative thinking, we’ve come up with a solution that meets safety requirements and the children’s needs. Having a large circle of desks around the outside of the room and a large empty space in the centre has been a revelation.
With all the space available, the options are unlimited – lessons can be on the floor or at desks; drama and yoga lessons are easily accommodated; the teacher can see everyone easily. There’s room to play and learn safely.
Our Y1 teacher doesn’t want to go back to her old classroom layout when things go back to normal.
Something else that was bothering us was how to have the children’s school photos taken. The school guidance encourages schools to have as few visitors coming into school as possible, but we know how much families love their children’s school photos, especially if it’s the first or last year of primary school.
We’ve found a safe way to do it by using a local company that specialises in taking outdoor photos of children in natural light.
I’d been thinking about doing photos outside in our beautiful grounds for a while but had never done it. These tricky times were the push I needed to do things differently. Don’t get me wrong: we’re going to be delighted when, one day, all the coronavirus rules and restrictions are lifted. However, in the meantime we’re doing our best and finding that a few things actually work better for us.
Emma Meadus is headteacher at Coppice Valley Primary in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. She tweets at @meadus_emma.
