FINISHING SCHOOL IN LOCKDOWN
The lockdown has meant that children in their last year of primary are losing one of the most important terms of their young lives as they prepare for the big move to high school. Cathy Owen reports
THE last days of primary school as you prepare for the big move to secondary school can be an exciting time of life.
That final term in the final year of primary school is all about making memories as you get ready for the next stage of education. There are parties, trips, plays, and lots of exciting and memorable events to mark the change.
But for the Year 6 class of 2020, that has all been taken away from them.
Schools in Wales are set to return after what will be more than 14 weeks of lockdown on June 29.
But it will not be a return to school as they knew it before March 20 and a lot of the end-of-primary-school activities have been cancelled or will just never take place.
Kayleigh Roberts took a picture of her 10-year-old son, Jayden, and his friends at Ysgol y Castell in Caerphilly on the last day of school before lockdown.
“I get quite emotional when I look at the picture,” says Kayleigh, whose son is due to start at Cwm Rhymni in September. “They are missing out on so much not being in school for the last days of primary school.
“I have been helping him to do work from home, but those last days are about socialising with your friends and getting ready for high school.
“Jayden has a close bond with his teachers in primary school and they have been fantastic at getting them ready but they are missing out on that. I don’t know how to speak to him the same way as a teacher does.
“It should be about getting excited with your friends and getting ready but at least all the children are in the same boat.”
Jayden is also upset about missing out on being in school too.
He says: “We are missing out on the leavers’ prom and I miss spending time with my friends and the teachers.
“We have been speaking on Zoom, WhatsApp, and House Party but it is not quite the same. When lockdown is over I am really looking forward to seeing my friends, going to restaurants and holidays.”
Moving from primary school to secondary school is exciting, but for many children it can also be a daunting prospect and not being able to visit high schools because of lockdown is making it even more difficult for this year’s Year 6.
Frazer Owen, from Whitchurch, Cardiff, is surprised by how much he is missing school, but one of his biggest concerns is the move to Whitchurch High School next term and finding his way around when he gets there.
“I have been to the high school because my brother goes there, and we went once in Year Five, but I was hoping that we would be able to visit the school before we started and meet some of the teachers,” said the 11-year-old, whose biggest upset is not being able to go on the week-long trip to Llangrannog that was due to take place this week.
“The high school has sent us a video but it is not quite the same.”
A new, much bigger school can offer greater independence and a world of opportunity but schools this year are having to come up with different ways of making the primary school children they are welcoming in September more confident.
Visiting the school and getting a good idea of the lay of the land can help put your child at ease on the first day, but that is not going to be possible in most places this year and it is still unclear what schools are going to look like in September.
So high schools have come up with different ways of welcoming the next intake of pupils, from organising virtual tours to making welcome videos and writing to children individually.
Education expert Nicola S Morgan, who has been providing training for teachers and schools in Wales for the past decade, said: “Missing out on schooling in Year 6 could not only have implications for children’s education and mental health, but also socially interacting with peers and developing key skills around teamwork, and developing friendships especially in preparation with the transition to secondary school.”
Michael Munnik’s son, Leo, is preparing for a new start at Bishop of Llandaff school.
He says: “Leo has been bounced around a bit since we moved to Cardiff. He has been in a couple of primary schools, but when he got offered a place in Llandaff City Church in Wales Primary School for Years 5 and 6 we thought it was best to move him because his sister is at Bishop and that is where he wanted to go.
“We thought it best to move him to Llandaff City so he could get to know some of the children who would be going to that school with him.
“That makes this lockdown especially weird as he hasn’t had a lifetime with these kids anyway and it undercuts a bit of our reason for moving him in the first place.
“The high school has sent a welcome pack and he does know a bit about the school because his sister is there but it is all very different for him.”
Leo says: “It was strange on the last day before lockdown saying bye and not knowing if the next time we
would meet would be in high school.
“The teacher has organised some online classes, which is good because you can say hello to everyone, but I am just really looking forward to seeing everyone when we can again. At home we all work together around the kitchen table but I think my family have had enough of my jokes.”
Nicola S Morgan admits that it is “natural” for children to have concerns about the move to high school. She says: “For children starting high school, it is natural they’ll have anxieties to deal with and overcome.
“They will also experience many changes, ranging from the overall size of the school, number of classes, teachers for different subjects, and more schoolwork. But there are ways to help make the back-to-school transition as easy as possible for children even in this difficult time.”
Pupils in Year 6 this year will always remember their last days in primary school in the years to come. Unfortunately, it will be for all the wrong reasons.