Friday (21st August) was the last day of our first ever Summer School.
We have had over 40 children for two weeks of solid learning and a range of activities which have balanced some serious, heads-down graft with some great fun. Our aim was to provide parents with the chance to enable their children to at least begin to make up for lost time and we seem to have achieved that for many. We decided to make the school a “computer-free zone” for the two weeks and emphasised neat handwriting and careful presentation of work.
Overall, I’d say it has been a success. Among those who might agree with that are the many parents for whom the last couple of weeks have been a welcome break from home-schooling! We have already provisionally set aside the same two weeks next August.
There are still some who would say schools should not yet be open, but I suspect they are now in the minority. It seems clear to me that it is perfectly possible to operate a school safely – establishing bubbles, regular hand-washing and cleaning, using only washable hard plastics rather than cuddly toys, encouraging children to wear washable clothing, asking parents not to enter the school building etc. All of that is sensible and necessary. But within those restrictions, children can still learn and enjoy school life.
Let’s hope all schools are open come September and children can get back to learning and enjoying being with their friends again.
For us, school re-opens on Tuesday, 15th September.