Shirebrook Academy principal Mark Cottingham says post-lockdown return to school presents huge challenges

Mark Cottingham, principal of Shirebrook Academy.

This is not because I have had a change of heart in my vocation, but because of the huge challenges that await us as we reopen schools without furthering the spread of the coronavirus.

One thing that is clear is that, despite the online technology, the extraordinary commitment of our staff and the remarkable stoicism of our students, there is no substitute for face-to-face teaching.

So much of teaching relies on everyone being together in a group situation. Students working in groups solve their learning challenges more quickly, while teachers are also on hand to give them instant feedback and guidance. You don’t get that through Google.

Outside the classroom, schools also supply other vital services, such as mental health support or pastoral care, which students may currently be missing out on, as well as the extra-curricular activities like sports or music.

So, to get the best out of education, our students need to return to school, but maintaining health, safety and order in a post-lockdown world is going to be a profound challenge.

There are so many questions. Should our staff be wearing visors? Do we have to clean down desks between lessons, or stop giving out pens to students who don’t have any? How many times during the day will we have to remind students about the need to wash their hands?

And then there is a social distancing. We have 840 students in our school and 40 workspaces, including classrooms. That isn’t enough to ensure that everyone can learn, while socially distancing at the same time.

A lunch queue where everyone is spaced out by two metres will stretch for miles, and how do we control students’ proximity to each other on school buses and while they’re out in the grounds?

And so on and so on.

This whole issue is fraught with difficulty, which is why, even with the best will in the world, I am currently unsettled about the prospect of returning to school so that our students can benefit from face-to-face learning again.