Of the few positives to have come from lockdown, the ability to reconnect with friends or family via video call stands out for me as a significant advance in communication. In the first lockdown, this seemed to be something of a craze, with virtual pub quizzes, bingo, even stag and hen parties taking place. For my part, I enjoyed family get-togethers in the first few weeks on a Saturday evening, providing a chance to see relatives, all of whom live in Fife in Scotland, and I would ordinarily only see them at Christmas or in the summer.

Though initially quite hesitant to utilise the platform, I’ve become a convert. It’s been an excellent tool in our interview process, when face to face meetings have been impossible, for this purpose. It was vital in ensuring that consultations to discuss student progress could take place, and was actually preferable in some ways to a normal Parents Evening, reducing waiting times and queueing for appointments. Of course, it has enabled a high standard of live teaching to take place too, and contributed to the continued progress of students. I’ve also found the format to be a tremendous way to reinvigorate our connections with alumni. 

Over the last week or so, it has been immensely fulfilling to have had the opportunity to speak with former students about their lives since leaving College. It was pleasing to hear recollections of their experiences at Ealing, memories of cherished times in and out of the classroom, and, most powerfully, the maturity with which they imparted their advice to current students. Common themes ran through all of the conversations: the time taken by teachers here to support students to become the best versions of themselves they could be; the increase in confidence they experienced in thriving within the College community; the value with which they placed on the friendships they made here, and how these have lingered. You can listen to the first in a series of talks with previous alumni by clicking here. 

Looking back personally, my time at university served this purpose for me. When I look back on it, I don’t treasure most the dissertation I wrote on the ulterior motives behind the Sykes-Picot Agreement, or in obtaining my degree. I think of the way those years raised my confidence: in becoming a completely independent adult; in embedding the leadership skills which have driven me on in my career; and in making strong and lasting friendships with like-minded people which have truly enhanced my life.

During Lockdown One, this friendship group tried, with minimal success, to recreate our annual trip to Cologne in Germany to watch a football match. Several obstacles derailed the enjoyment: we had to substitute the salubrious surroundings of a vibrant bierkeller for our own, quiet lounges; with all participants watching the game on various feeds, we all found that the range of reactions to the actions at different times incredibly off putting; usually, our lads weekends did not feature a brief break to play with grouchy children who had just arisen from their naps. Our lack of desire to repeat the pursuit said nothing about our friendship - it was a tacit realisation, which I know has been shared by many others, that a rendezvous in 2D simply isn’t as enjoyable as the real thing.

That’s also the realisation that I’ve come to with regards to life at the College. Remote teaching has its uses, but can never replace the school experience. With the government announcement of the roadmap out of lockdown, and the return of all children to in-class learning from March 8th, I’m genuinely excited to see students walking the corridors, and learning in the classrooms again. I said in my briefing last week that consideration needs to be given to how ‘above and beyond’ can be the new normal in terms of our provision for students, and I’m keen to put that into place from their first day back.

In the lead up to our Easter Mock exams, and beyond, we’ll be offering additional support in the form of revision sessions, as we normally would, but we’re also keen to dovetail these sessions with wellbeing time, which enables an opportunity for students to reconnect with their friends, their teachers and an active life in Ealing. For every revision session we run, we’ll be ensuring that an activity is in place to complement it which provides allocated time for rest, relaxation, fun and enjoyment with their friends - whether that means buying them all an ice cream or having a walk in the park - I’m fully aware that this aspect of school life has been missing just as much - more, in fact - than classroom learning. It will enable a forum for discussion and dialogue, and the topic of conversation should be anything but teaching, learning, exams and all the stress that comes with them.

I’m keen to see students at the College who achieve, but I’m more eager to see them happy. I think that seeing smiling, content students is possibly the sight I’ve most felt deprived of over the last few months and hearing joy and laughter in the corridors again, now just a week away, can’t come soon enough.