In his first blog for Northern Insights Magazine, Geoffrey Stanford, Head of the Royal Grammar School Newcastle, reflects on the 'perfect storm' of issues challenging schools and the glimmers of hope ahead.
Much has been written about the multitude of pandemic-related challenges faced by schools, and of course the profound effect that the pressures have had on individuals. From parents juggling professional lives and now also fulltime home-schooling; teachers who have quickly had to adapt to educate, motivate and inspire their young charges through a camera lens; and students of all ages who have now experienced remote learning, to greater or lesser extent, for almost a year. The situation is, admittedly, not ideal for anyone but perhaps time will show this most challenging period has created opportunities for us all to learn…
Good teaching and learning involves significant human interaction and developing positive relationships between teachers, pupils and their peers that are most easily formed face to face, in a school environment. Every teacher will know that magical moment when a connection is made, when a young person lights up, enthused by a new concept or idea shared in class. That moment is, undoubtedly, what drove us into teaching. To find the same connection online requires more resourcefulness, innovation and, not least, energy from teachers. I have been tremendously impressed with how RGS staff have relentlessly pursued the delivery of outstanding teaching through a balance of live lessons online and offscreen tasks. I am sure teachers across the region have worked as hard to reach every child, even the most reluctant of learners.
Perhaps most challenging for teachers is the delivery of lessons to those online, whilst simultaneously supporting students at school. At RGS, the demographic of our parents means that almost a third have keyworker status, a consequence of so many working in the NHS. Equally one in 20 of our students attends on a means-tested bursary, many of which are vulnerable and need to attend school. The pandemic has shone a spotlight on the needs of those who are most vulnerable and I hope that a consequence of the pandemic is a greater focus on social mobility. It has certainly redoubled our commitment to finding ways to make even more means-tested bursaries available in order for deserving individuals to access our highly academic education at RGS.
Alongside heroic teachers, I applaud our pupils for developing effective new habits for learning independently. Perhaps a silver lining of this most challenging time is that students are learning new organisational and learning skills which will serve them well for the future. I see our young people organising themselves, planning and managing their time, and taking a greater responsibility for their learning than was ever required of them.
I wonder if this pandemic generation, will be more self-reliant and resilient than any before them. RGS pupils’ written reflections on their experiences that are included in their reports make fascinating reading, demonstrating the resilience that they have shown in recent months. However, one cannot underestimate the mental health effects of the pandemic on young people everywhere. These have been substantial and are going to continue to be challenging for the foreseeable future. I am very proud of the pastoral support that we have been able to provide to our pupils at RGS in helping them get through the challenges they face. For students everywhere maintaining some degree of normality and routine helps in all of this, along with encouraging them to keep up non-academic activities too. This includes participating in cocurricular activities such as musical ensembles that continue practising and recording for broadcast concerts through to engaging in regular sporting activity. While traditional school sports fixtures have not been possible this year, we have continued to encourage pupils to take part in sports competitions and different forms of healthy exercise, even when operating remotely, which has encouraged many pupils who may not have been so engaged with a more traditional diet of team sports. The cancellation of exams and the recent publication of the Ofqual consultation on how grades should be given in the summer is the next challenge that school leaders will have to wrestle with. In a normal year, grades are determined by examiners and exam boards take responsibility for any appeals. In 2020, the algorithm being discredited and the consequent reversion to centre assessed grades placed schools at the heart of the appeal process. This year it will be important for exam boards properly to moderate the evidence that schools put forward in support of their grade recommendations, and also take responsibility for any appeals that are made. In the absence of this process of standardisation there is likely to be grade inflation that devalues the significant efforts so many young people have been making. This in turn will also put additional pressure on the 2021 UCAS admissions process, that is already stretched by dealing with the deferrals from the 2020 process.
Despite the variety of challenges we all face, it remains a privilege to work with our children who generally continue to be cheerful, enthusiastic and motivated. The rollout of the vaccine provides hope of a return to normality in due course and even the simple fact of daylight getting longer again will lift spirits. I remain optimistic that, as a community, we will work together and not only survive, but thrive, through whatever lies ahead.