Today sure was different. I felt for the children who may not be with all of their friends… and the teachers who weren’t with their class. I’ve watched the Google Classroom alerts ping from the children too: please be patient and kind – all the teachers are in school and are with a ‘bubble’ of children. Please be assured they haven’t forgotten about their children; they may be slower to respond to messages.

We have agonised over all of the conflicting and ever-changing advice and guidance and the needs of our community. Like many I’m sure, I have found this weekend difficult: the news both at home and abroad is enough to question whether there is any justice or goodness left in the world. And then I watched today unfold (safely through windows knowing the corridors will remain empty). I watched as the ‘bubbles’ arrived between their staggered times with parents patiently queueing against the ribbon/posters displayed around our perimeter – their teachers warmly welcoming the children in from outside [answering quick queries and reassuring families] and their other adult greeting the children inside the classroom – making sure they were washing their hands, sitting at their desks… and the conversations flowed like they’d never been away!

I have been reassured throughout the day by the sound of procedures being carried out correctly as per our staff guidance & risk assessment. Everyone was audibly describing and carrying out the new routine accurately; reducing the risk and keeping each other as safe as reasonably possible… all with warmth, empathy and support. I am incredibly proud of the start we’ve made to this term – of everyone.

This morning I received a quote from Lincoln Diocese written by a Holocaust survivor:

“I am a survivor of a concentration camp. My eyes saw what no person should witness… my request is this: help your children become human… we can’t give up. We have to continue to do what we believe is right. We have to make sure that our pupils leave us ‘more human’ for there is no one else to do it.”

Please, despite what is going on in the world, carry on doing just that and know that we stand together.

Best wishes – stay safe.