We’ve been operating our virtual school for over two weeks now. All of us, both adults and children alike have learned plenty of lessons throughout this process. Many of us have learned new technical skills, others have learned patience, and I’m sure that all of us have developed our own learning powers; whether tenacity, initiative, independence or something else.

As a staff, we’ve all been so impressed with the way the children have risen to the challenges that have been presented to them, in so many different ways. Some of the work the children have been producing has been of the very highest standard.

Of course, in an ideal world, we wouldn’t have to operate a virtual school. Under normal circumstances, we wouldn’t encourage the children to spend as much time in front of a screen as they have been recently. It remains incredibly important for the children to have time outside and away from the computer screen. It is for this reason that we have included plenty of time for PE and other outdoor learning opportunities in the timetable.

We also understand that, for some of our children, a time like this can create significant levels of anxiety. Some of this is down to the things they hear and see in the news, some of it is caused by the social isolation that we all find ourselves in and some will be created by the children putting pressure on themselves to be successful in everything that they do. Of course, we want the children to work hard and do well, however it is important that we also consider their mental health.

We will be sending out more information about this next week, however, in the meantime, if you find that your child is feeling particularly stressed please do feel free to remove them from the virtual school as you see fit. Sometimes what the children need is for us, as the adults in their lives, to take the decision to remove them from something that is causing them anxiety. If this is something that you feel you need to do, please do inform your child’s form teacher so that they can pass the message on to the rest of the staff, as necessary.

Finally, I would like to extend my grateful thanks to all of you, as parents, for the support and encouragement you have shown the staff team at this time. We acknowledge that none of this is easy, but your kind words do really mean so much. It is a great testament to the spirit of community at SVPS and we will continue to move forward together!