With all students in England set to return to schools on the 8th March, there have been mixed emotions of stress, relief, joy and anxiety. I decided to ask some students what they thought about the return to schools. I interviewed some pupils in Year 10, who are currently 14 – 15 years old. They will be taking their GCSE’s next year, and therefore are currently having to learn GCSE content online.
When I asked the students how they felt about the return to school, the overall response was excitement, although there was some concerns. Some comments were, “I’m excited to go back to school to see friends and to get a better social life, however I am nervous about the return to school as it’s a big change from what I have grown used to and feel I may not wake up and that there will be lots of stress and pressure on learning physically as we are behind from learning from home.” Another student also said, “I am very excited to go back to school and see my friends however I am a little stressed as I am no longer used to waking up early or having to wear a mask in school which may take some time to get used to.”
Students are also understandably worried about their academic future. They expressed some concerns, “I am worried that the teachers will push students too hard to make up for lost time and that they will put pressure on exams and it will build up and be quite stressful” Another student commented, “I think the biggest worry would be having to do assessments straight after half term after only being at school for around 2 weeks. Lots of others think this as well since they believe that they haven’t learnt as much over the online school period” Many students were worried about falling behind, “I am worried that I may be behind in terms of academics due to falling behind during online school.”
Overall, the pupils clearly preferred being in school to online learning, “I think I learn better in school then on online school so my academics will improve once I return”. Another student said, “ I enjoy physical learning better than online learning as I think it is less stressful and easier to learn“. They all hoped that after they return their learning would improve, “I definitely think there will be an improvement since the classroom environment differs greatly from online learning. Since we are in contact it's easier to ask questions and understand content.” Due to many distractions at home, it can be extremely hard for a teenager to be looking at a screen for over 7 hours a day. One student even said, “I think my learning will majorly improve when I am physically in school because it will force me to participate and completely pay attention.”
Many pupils have been struggling with their mental health in lockdown, they hope that being in school could improve their wellbeing. “I think that there has because being indoors for a long time or having to stick to being in one place can really tire you out. Since I move around in school to get to lessons it really helps as I'm constantly being active which also improves how your mind works and how your mental health is affected.” Another student said, “Lockdown has had a negative impact on my mental health, as I think it has impacted everyone but seeing and socialising with friends will hopefully improve it”. On the other hand some students believe that going back to school, could cause more stress due to the work they will have to catch up on. A pupil said, “It may be hard to have a good work-life balance again leading to a decrease in well being.”
I asked students whether they agreed with the government’s decision to reopen schools. Many student’s believed it was the right thing to do, making comments such as, “I think that the government has made the right decision to send us back to school as many people learn better in schools. Additionally there are many schools that do not have the resources to correctly teach online. As well as this many people’s mental health have severely decreased due to not having much social interaction or being isolated and sending children back to school will improve this.” Many students were reassured by the idea of having “Covid tests” as a “precaution “and one student commented that, although opening schools “may raise cases” with the “vaccine being rolled more people are immune”, which is a comforting thought.
Overall student’s have been experiencing many different emotions, and hope that reopening schools will be the first step towards returning to a normal life. Being a student in lockdown has not been easy, and being back at school will bring relief to many, improving mental health, social wellbeing as well as learning.
