Young Person’s Voice
Returning to School After Lockdown An interview with Kadijah Adam by ALLFIE’s Michelle Daley In a follow-up to Kadijah Adam’s insightful article in our Spring magazine, Michelle Daley spoke to Kadijah, a Disabled teenager studying in her local mainstream school, about her experiences returning to school after the most recent lockdown. When we heard from Kadijah during lockdown, she was excited and enjoyed remote education, so we wanted to catchup with her and see what she thinks of being back in school. Returning to school On 8th March 2021, the UK government reopened schools, as part of the easing of lockdown restrictions in the United Kingdom. For Kadijah, a year-10 Disabled student, this was a nightmare and she found going back to school stressful. Kadijah told ALLFIE: “It [the school] is a bit regimented [because of the physical distancing] and they haven’t made the right adjustments and it is not accessible for people with learning difficulties.” In Bubbles COVID-19 guidance on physical and social distancing has also had an impact on Kadijah’s school experience. In class, for instance: “When I don’t understand the question, I have to struggle on my own. I cannot see from one eye and have a learning difficulty and I need help with understanding questions and to access the subject material.” The Teaching Assistant (TA), who supports Kadijah and teachers in many of her classes, has to remain socially distanced and wear a mask. Kadijah said that she found this distance hard, as her TA and teachers are now often unable: “to sit next to me, help explain questions and diagrams to me because of the social distance.” Additionally, the formation of bubbles in schools has meant that Kadijah is isolated from certain peers: “I have a friend in year 11 I would talk to during breaktimes, but I’m not able to now because each year group is in a bubble.” She added: “I don’t like being back at school, it makes me stressed. I don’t like being in bubbles, I liked doing my schoolwork at home.”
10
