Here on the Beaconsfield Society Blog, we like to make sure others have the chance to cover other issues in and around our town that are important to local people and with the recent announcements, about school reopening this one is very timely we are sure you will agree...
As families, children, and teachers ready themselves for a return to school on the 8th of March, the question of how best schools can adapt to accommodate their changing needs arises. Remote learning is meaningful in some areas but cannot replace the wide-ranging benefits of face-to-face interactions with teachers and friends. Nothing beats a smile from a teacher you hold in high regard.
When I think of so many of the young people at The Beaconsfield School, I am inspired by their dedication and adaptability. It is not an experience that we would have wanted for them. Youth unemployment has doubled over the last year because of long stretches of lockdown, and traditional employment routes for young people, such as retail, hospitality, or leisure, are likely to face uncertain futures. Growing up is about finding out who you are and developing a real sense of independence and self-worth – it is hard to do that under lockdown, where contact with others is restricted and young people have long stretches behind a screen.
On top of this, many people have felt for a long time that our exams – GCSEs and A-Levels – serve some, but not all, of our young people. We know, year on year, that far too many students leave school at 16 without their skills being captured and without a clear route open to them for study or employment post-16.
Child and adolescent mental health, already a worry pre-Covid, is now at the top of the agenda for school leaders. Young people thrive in schools with a mix of lessons, sport, assemblies and socializing. Part of growing up is making sense of the world around you through discussion with your peers, both formal (which we can replace through online PSHCE lessons) and informal, which is far more of a challenge during the lockdown. Young people have a far greater confidence and vocabulary in discussing their well-being and mental health than I can ever recall, which I am sure is in no small part due to the work of people, such as Prince William with Heads Together, to raise awareness and understanding of mental health.
But this is not to paint an unhopeful picture of the future. Young people are capable of extraordinary things, inside and out of the classroom. I can see three clear ways forward - developing a deep commitment to community service and developing a broad skill set that allows a mixed employment route. Community work allows the strengthening of bonds within communities, as well as developing local solutions. At The Beaconsfield School, we are excited about offering roles for young people through the role of Young Trustees, whereby our students can serve the school community after they leave the school and gain the first-hand experience of trusteeship and making a difference. Within school, we offer young people the chance to train and serve as young mentors. And of course, community service extends in both directions – we have been incredibly pleased to welcome a range of public figures to speak to our students through the fantastic Speakers for Schools programme.
The second way in which we can help young people address the challenges of the future is by ensuring every child is a confident and capable reader. The shift to remote learning has meant teachers across the world have moved mountains to replace familiar whiteboards with Zoom calls and breakout rooms – but the power of engaging with challenging books, articles and essays will never be replaced, and the importance of expressing oneself with acuity is never more important than it is now. School leaders now surely have a duty to provide purposeful ways of developing young people’s voices, so they can communicate with clarity and sensitivity, to seek to understand others and make sense of the world around them. At The Beaconsfield School, we value reading for pleasure and work hard to ensure young people thrive as readers.
This period of school closure allows us the rare opportunity to pause and reflect. Valuing the whole child, success on the sports field, in the drama studio, in the art classroom and in the science lab all serve an important part in making sure children recognize their own extraordinary potential. As we emerge into the summer, with the vaccine roll-out seemingly well on track, we have an opportunity to reconsider how we address the three-fold issues of youth unemployment, child mental health, and exams. I am more hopeful than ever that the resourcefulness of our teachers and resilience of our young people, with a clear focus on community action, literacy, and valuing the whole child, will ensure that young people have the skills to thrive post-Covid. We would love to hear from you if you would be interested in supporting our work or getting to know the school better.
