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Academy principal Enass Al-Ani explains the benefits of face-to-face learning – and the measures already in place that make it as safe as possible to fully reopen classrooms
Following the news that schools and colleges will reopen, with Covid-19 testing measures in place, to all pupils – apart from those who are clinically extremely vulnerable – from 8 March, Enass Al-Ani, the principal at Small Heath leadership academy in Birmingham, felt an enormous surge of relief. “The announcement that schools will reopen fully is great news,” she says. “It’s absolutely vital that children get the whole school experience. Nothing can replace that direct face-to-face teaching. The students have missed so much: not seeing their friends; not engaging with all the things we do here, day in, day out; interactions with teachers; time in the playground; extracurricular activities. I’m so thankful and proud of the staff here for the fantastic work they’ve done, but remote teaching cannot substitute the complete experience students receive in school.”
Al-Ani, who has been principal at Small Heath leadership academy since 2017, reels off a list of school clubs that have, understandably, remained closed – from the RAF cadet programme to archery and drama club with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. “We have very broad and wide-ranging activities taking place every single day normally,” she says. “These things just cannot be replicated online and that’s what the students have been missing out on during lockdown.” But teachers and support staff have had their work cut out, working across both online platforms and in person. “As part of Star Academies trust, we’ve worked with other Star Academies schools in Birmingham to create a hub, which remained open throughout lockdown, including bank holidays and Easter, for vulnerable students and children of key workers.” Continue reading...