Students: embracing the 'new normal'
Bella Blundell reminds us of the effect of lockdown on families, students and in particular school leavers, while, below, Ali Pecover and Zoe Kasey-Upstone discuss the changes that have taken place in the school to ensure the safety of its students.
On 23 March the United Kingdom was put into Lockdown as a result of the global pandemic which swept the globe. Adults couldn't work, children couldn't go to school, universities were shut. The country stood stagnant. Unsurprisingly, there were many mixed feelings about Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decisions over the lockdown, most of which came from a place of frustration as we were (and some currently still are) prevented from seeing our families and friends. Not only did the restrictive measures of lockdown lead to increased mental health problems, and loneliness it also meant many businesses had to shut down permanently, and a lot of people lost their jobs.
However, lockdown wasn't all negative as many people picked up new hobbies as they had more free time to do things. There was increase in home workout videos being published online, as well as a increase in body positivity posts online, and there were loads of sales in shops when they began to reopen!
Home-schooling had to start as students still needed to do some schoolwork even if it meant not doing it physically in their schools. While we were all offered the same support from teachers and set the same amount of work, it was much more difficult for some students than others: some people didn't have access to laptops or desktops to complete their work or take part in Microsoft Teams calls and many students who were receiving free school meals at college were no longer getting them at home. One of the things which was also affected by the lockdown was the exciting activities which were organised for school leavers. Year 6 students had to cancel their residential trips and school plays, Year 11s and Year 13 had to miss their school proms, and many people even missed the last day of school due to illness.
Bella Blundell, Year 7
What is the 'new normal'?
School has changed quite a bit. We can all agree that maybe we preferred the ease of life prior to the outbreak of Covid-19, but eventually we’ll get into the new routine of the one-way system and hand sanitising at the door of every room we go in. One of the biggest changes in the learning environment of the school is the fact that teachers have to socially distance, meaning they can no longer come over to help us individually. This could cause students to feel they shouldn’t bother asking for help, because as anyone who has been in a busy classroom of 30 will know, asking for help across the room can be nerve-racking. However, teachers are still here for us whether they can get close to us or not. The restrictions may keep the help and support they can give us at a distance, but they are trying their best to keep things semi-normal and you should remember that if you need help on something, the chances are you're not alone and the quicker you let the teacher know, the quicker they can resolve any problem for the class.
One of the social spaces which has changed significantly is the canteen. Many people used to sit in there and chat while eating their lunch, but no longer. Initially, the menu also changed as they were offering a limited menu (mostly sandwiches and paninis) for pre-order, which they subsequently brought round by trolley to the individual year groups. Now, people will be pleased to hear that they are no longer bringing food out on trolleys so you can go into the canteen and pick from the range of food they have started to make for us. The only time you can go to the canteen is in your allocated year group slots. The allocation of time slots to go to and from lessons, and to and from the canteen limits the mixing of year groups and keeps us all in our own bubbles as much as possible, thus limiting the risk of infection.
At the start of this educational year the weather was amazing and so being outside was lovely and felt more like a choice than an enforced rule. However, since the weather is beginning to turn and the air is getting cooler it is becoming more of a chore to stand outside, which is why we have been recommended to wrap up warm with hats and gloves and bring picnic blankets to sit on. While these measures might not feel ideal, they are ensuring our safety to the best of the school’s ability. Furthermore, not only are we prohibited from being in the building (where germs can spread more easily) for longer than necessary, but we also have our own year group spaces, limiting the contact we have with other years and therefore meaning we are protected outside as well as inside.
One of the new Year 7s said: “Personally, I think the teachers are doing just the right thing. The only thing I would change is having to sit outside as it keeps raining at the moment.” Obviously when it rains, every year group has its own indoor wet weather base where they can sit safe and dry in their year group bubble. We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but we've made it through the first half term and if we keep on doing what we're supposed to do to keep everyone safe we will be fine.
By Ali Pecover and Zoe Kasey-Upstone, Year 10
On 23 March the United Kingdom was put into Lockdown as a result of the global pandemic which swept the globe. Adults couldn't work, children couldn't go to school, universities were shut. The country stood stagnant. Unsurprisingly, there were many mixed feelings about Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decisions over the lockdown, most of which came from a place of frustration as we were (and some currently still are) prevented from seeing our families and friends. Not only did the restrictive measures of lockdown lead to increased mental health problems, and loneliness it also meant many businesses had to shut down permanently, and a lot of people lost their jobs.
However, lockdown wasn't all negative as many people picked up new hobbies as they had more free time to do things. There was increase in home workout videos being published online, as well as a increase in body positivity posts online, and there were loads of sales in shops when they began to reopen!
Home-schooling had to start as students still needed to do some schoolwork even if it meant not doing it physically in their schools. While we were all offered the same support from teachers and set the same amount of work, it was much more difficult for some students than others: some people didn't have access to laptops or desktops to complete their work or take part in Microsoft Teams calls and many students who were receiving free school meals at college were no longer getting them at home. One of the things which was also affected by the lockdown was the exciting activities which were organised for school leavers. Year 6 students had to cancel their residential trips and school plays, Year 11s and Year 13 had to miss their school proms, and many people even missed the last day of school due to illness.
Bella Blundell, Year 7
What is the 'new normal'?
School has changed quite a bit. We can all agree that maybe we preferred the ease of life prior to the outbreak of Covid-19, but eventually we’ll get into the new routine of the one-way system and hand sanitising at the door of every room we go in. One of the biggest changes in the learning environment of the school is the fact that teachers have to socially distance, meaning they can no longer come over to help us individually. This could cause students to feel they shouldn’t bother asking for help, because as anyone who has been in a busy classroom of 30 will know, asking for help across the room can be nerve-racking. However, teachers are still here for us whether they can get close to us or not. The restrictions may keep the help and support they can give us at a distance, but they are trying their best to keep things semi-normal and you should remember that if you need help on something, the chances are you're not alone and the quicker you let the teacher know, the quicker they can resolve any problem for the class.
One of the social spaces which has changed significantly is the canteen. Many people used to sit in there and chat while eating their lunch, but no longer. Initially, the menu also changed as they were offering a limited menu (mostly sandwiches and paninis) for pre-order, which they subsequently brought round by trolley to the individual year groups. Now, people will be pleased to hear that they are no longer bringing food out on trolleys so you can go into the canteen and pick from the range of food they have started to make for us. The only time you can go to the canteen is in your allocated year group slots. The allocation of time slots to go to and from lessons, and to and from the canteen limits the mixing of year groups and keeps us all in our own bubbles as much as possible, thus limiting the risk of infection.
At the start of this educational year the weather was amazing and so being outside was lovely and felt more like a choice than an enforced rule. However, since the weather is beginning to turn and the air is getting cooler it is becoming more of a chore to stand outside, which is why we have been recommended to wrap up warm with hats and gloves and bring picnic blankets to sit on. While these measures might not feel ideal, they are ensuring our safety to the best of the school’s ability. Furthermore, not only are we prohibited from being in the building (where germs can spread more easily) for longer than necessary, but we also have our own year group spaces, limiting the contact we have with other years and therefore meaning we are protected outside as well as inside.
One of the new Year 7s said: “Personally, I think the teachers are doing just the right thing. The only thing I would change is having to sit outside as it keeps raining at the moment.” Obviously when it rains, every year group has its own indoor wet weather base where they can sit safe and dry in their year group bubble. We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but we've made it through the first half term and if we keep on doing what we're supposed to do to keep everyone safe we will be fine.
By Ali Pecover and Zoe Kasey-Upstone, Year 10