2022, it’s a year for the Year 10 students seeking a fresh start. Of course, they would never have known that COVID's effects were still felt at school and during their learning. What, though, are these "effects"?

 

These effects can be seen in the wearing of the iconic blue masks throughout the school or even in the empty chairs in the classroom as a result of a student isolating. The effects can even be all the way down to a student's lack of knowledge, which should've been taught during the lockdown lessons.

 

The A-level and GCSE marks awarded in 2023 "will be lower on average," the government of education declared in September. By letting us know in advance that the grades will be poorer, COVID's impact on children's education is made very clear. Teachers are under pressure as a result of declining grades and an increase in the amount of material to be covered.

 A student at Newstead Wood School named Natheshaini Jeyamayooran claims, "Many subjects like biology were not properly taught during online learning due to technical issues, and I now have to catch up on these subjects." The "technical issues," such as slow internet, sound problems, or simply the fact that many students didn't have access to equipment for online learning, have a significant impact on their ability to learn now that school is back.

 

The impact of COVID hasn't always been good, with the negatives clearly outweighing the positives. But there are a few of these positives.

 

The majority of schools have seen benefits from using online resources during lockdown; moving homework assignments online and providing access to information online also prevents students from forgetting or even being at risk of losing important things. Global usage of new technology in the classroom has even made it possible for students to bring their own devices to aid their learning. Homework in Newstead Wood can be set via a variety of platforms, including Satchel One, LanguageOnline, Sparx, and Hegarty Maths. Additionally, Kerboodle is used to encourage the use of online textbooks. This allows the teachers to have flexibility and increases the exposure of the pupils to various learning styles.

"Using Seneca is probably one of my favourite ways of revising for exams, and Kerboodle is really helpful as I don’t have to carry my textbooks back and forth from school," says Natheshaini. 

Even in 2022, COVID is still a part of every one of our lives, and its effects will never be forgotten. But I believe we can all agree that we're relieved that lockdowns won't happen anymore. Hopefully 2023 will be a better year!