The past ten weeks have provided the education sector with a wide range of challenges. Boarding schools in the UK have been anxious to provide as much continuity as possible for their students. Like all other sectors, independent schools have had to furlough staff and reorganise provision to support the children of key workers. The lockdown has led to schools proving on-line tuition and pastoral care, developing existing VLE platform provision and creating new ones.
A key aim for independent schools in recent years has been the building of resilience and coping with new challenges. The lockdown has certainly required much resilience from students and staff alike responding to unprecedented challenges. Online assemblies, house meetings and services have enabled school communities to continue at a distance and to offer re-assurance that ‘We will meet again’ and that although apart, support and guidance is readily available. Students have responded positively to new ways of learning and have developed their working habits to respond to the new situation. Tutors have kept in touch with their students via phone calls and online meetings through Zoom, Skype and Teams. We are all learning new ways of working and engaging and I suspect many of these will become part of the ‘new normal’.
The lockdown has been particularly worrying for students coming up to public examinations in Y11 and Y13. Many schools have been providing an online introduction to A Level courses for Y11 students giving the opportunity to explore subjects before making final choices for Y12. Assignments have been set with feedback being provided to support students learning.
One school, Northboune Park Prep School in Kent has created a bubble for 9 of their international boarding students who have stayed at the school throughout the lockdown. Sebastian, Rees, Headmaster at Nortbourne, explained that some families were keen for their children to stay rather than return home to locations of high risk. The school has provided a bespoke programme for the students alongside online provision for all their day students.
Such responses by independent schools displays a deep level of concern to support students through this difficult period and to ensure that their education can continue.
Equally, the independent sector understands the need to support parents concerned with the economic impact of the lockdown. Many schools have reduced Summer Term fees and introduced a fee freeze for the coming academic year. Bursars have kept contact with families and have made themselves available to respond to particular difficulties. There is a strong awareness that the coming year is going to be difficult and I would encourage families to engage with schools regarding financial planning and payment options from September 2020.
All schools have kept their Admission Departments open through the lockdown interviews being conducted online through Zoom, Teams or Skype. Many have created online virtual open days to enable parents to still ‘visit’. At present, there are no plans for senior schools to reopen before September and schools will be in touch with parents to provide guidance regarding the start of the new term at the earliest opportunity.