IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC

IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC SENIOR SCHOOL

The Summer Term was like no other at North London Collegiate School. From the beginning of lockdown, we were determined to continue providing the same quality of education to our students online with our distinctive focus on scholarship, and academic stretch and challenge beyond the restrictions of examination specifications.

As soon as we switched to online school, we introduced a daily pastoral form time, which enabled students to meet with their tutors and allowed for much needed social interaction and pastoral support to continue. Our counselling service was also moved online providing extra support for students.

We were very proud of how our students adapted to the challenges of the virtual school and in true NLCS style, they responded with great creativity and resilience. In addition to online learning, we held screen-free days, where students took part in offline projects, ranging from illustrating a book to making afternoon tea for the family. We also introduced a ‘Feel Good Week’ encouraging students to consider the five key steps to positive mental health.

Canons Choir Music for Youth

Physical Education continued with students completing a Daily Fitness Log to track their progress, and a series of interactive resources were created with a focus on students’ physical and mental wellbeing. Students also took part in sports challenges, such as the #twopointsixchallenge raising funds for the National Brain Appeal and The Epilepsy Society.

At the heart of NLCS’s ethos is academic enrichment. We pride ourselves on offering an ambitious academic education, and central to this is our Senior Societies Programme, where we have over 50 student-led societies covering a vast panorama of interests, from Film and Media through to Pure Sciences. Every Society continued to meet online and led thoughtful discussions on a whole host of issues, such as artistic creativity and freedom of expression.

The core element of the Senior Societies Programme is our weekly lecture slot, where we invite visiting speakers to talk on an issue of particular relevance to each Society. We continued with our ‘visits’ online and welcomed, amongst others, Amelia Gentleman (award-winning journalist) and Ketna Patel (Pop Artist), who encouraged students to question and formulate their own opinions on a range of issues. All of this was complemented by a full range of online Extra-Curricular Activities, including Sport, Music and Drama. Staff-led activities ranged, from public speaking and verbatim theatre to computer coding and Computer-aided design. After just a couple of weeks, our students were keen to take the reins, and they added a spectacular array of over 40 student-run options, from Debating club to Magic Minds magic club, all attended remotely! Our Sports Department led a superb virtual Sports Day, whilst the Music Department enabled students to perform in virtual concerts. Our students organised their own online concerts and an end of term ‘Showcase finale’ that demonstrated the talent existing throughout the year groups. We were dazzled with some superb monologues, dance, musical performances, and even NLCS’s take on the loo roll challenge! While many might have thought lockdown would spell the end of a rich and diverse extra-curricular programme, we were delighted that our students and staff came together so enthusiastically to continue to enrich their education in a manner that our founder, Frances Mary Buss, would have been most proud! At the end of term, staff agreed that though this time had been incredibly challenging, and that we could not wait to be back in school with our students, we all learned an enormous amount from the experience and the value technology can add to the classroom.

IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC JUNIOR SCHOOL

As soon as the national lockdown was instigated and schools were closed, the Junior School switched to online learning. The aim was to provide the same rigorous NLCS education, coupled with our strong focus on pastoral care and extra-curricular enrichment.

The timetable in the Lower School was adapted to provide a pastoral form time at the beginning and end of the day, and in the First School, girls were contacted by their form teachers every day at a variety of different times. This allowed us to maintain a sense of community, provide support to girls who were experiencing difficulties, and give the girls an opportunity to socialise despite not being able to meet in person.

Lessons were adapted to be taught online using a variety of creative and interactive websites and resources. Both pupils and teachers enjoyed getting to grips with new technology and websites that have proven to be useful on our return to school this term too.

PE took the form of online trackers that the girls submitted weekly to record the exercise they had been engaging in. Each year group was provided with a series of instructions and challenges to complete. The Director of Junior School PE organised a very successful virtual Sports Day for the Lower School that culminated in a nail-biting virtual presentation of the final results! The First School were able to take part in a socially-distanced Sports Day on the school grounds as they had returned to school by the end of term.

Extra-curricular provision is at the heart of an NLCS education. Despite not being in school, girls from Years 2 to 6 were presented with many clubs that they could join in with virtually. We were also very grateful to a group of Year 10 students who ran a club for Junior School girls, providing some of the muchmissed contact between Lower and Senior School pupils.

The curriculum was also enriched by whole school events such as a VE Day celebration, which saw everyone dressing in red, white and blue and taking part in a virtual street party. The Lower School girls took part in a virtual poetry festival and recorded videos of their self-penned poems and enjoyed watching other girls’ performances as they were shared over a series of weeks. Events such as the Lower School Summer Concert, Year 6 production, Talent Show, and Year 2 and Year 1 assembly all happened virtually, recorded and edited into dazzling representations of talent and NLCS grit!

Despite being challenged in ways we could never have imagined, Junior School teachers and pupils demonstrated great flexibility of mind, resilience and persistence to make virtual schooling as successful and enjoyable as possible. We were extremely happy, however, to be back in school in small bubbles towards the end of the Summer Term and in full classes this academic year.