EPICURE Winter Issue 2020/21

EPICURE education
A REFLECTION ON
THE EXPERIENCE OF
CORONAVIRUS IN
INDEPENDENT
SCHOOL SETTINGS
The period from early March to the present day has
undoubtedly been one full of experiences which
we would all have wished we had not endured. The
thousands of people who have lost their lives to the
Coronavirus are individuals who deserve to be remembered
and the loss for the families connected to them must be
enormous. Many thousands more have, to a greater or lesser
extent, fallen ill with Covid-19 and to all this we can add the
huge negative impact of lockdown on the country’s economy
and general well-being. The closure of schools has disrupted
the education of millions of children. It is difficult to claim
there is anything which is positive from this experience and
arguably it’s too soon to be speculating along these lines.
In full recognition of all the bad things that have happened
so far in 2020 I am going to attempt to lift the spirits in an
educational context and identify some areas where there may
be a lasting gain for schools and the educational experience
of children.
Online teaching and learning in IAPS school, both prep
and junior, has been far more positive than anyone could
reasonably have anticipated. Yes, during the first couple of
weeks of school closure, the schools were feeling their way
and there were grounds for genuine concern that what was
on offer was a long way short of the normal service.
However, as no end of heads commented, they travelled
further with online learning in two weeks than they had
in the previous two years. In fact, towards the end of the
summer term as schools started to welcome their pupils back,
there was much debate about whether the older pupils in
Year 6 should be invited back when the online learning had
been so successful. Success online come in unexpected ways
too as parents were able to look through a window on school
assemblies which normally they did not have the opportunity
to do unless it was a special event.
The insight into assemblies was not the only way the
relationship between the school and the parents was
recalibrated. The premium placed on clear communication
was never more evident and the schools who got the tone
right from the start, even if they were passing on somewhat
unpalatable news, saw the benefits of their efforts. Heads and
governors were having to take decisions rapidly and to get
them right first time and, as they did, the confidence within
the school and parental body grew.
Many schools reduced the fees and appealed to the parental
body to honour their obligation to pay them with many
predicting a poor response. Again, where the communication
was open and clear - and parents felt they knew what was
happening and why - the vast majority of parents paid the
fees due.
Not every parent has been happy but survey upon survey in
IAPS schools has shown a very high degree of satisfaction
with the decisions and actions of the school. If anything
confidence has grown about sending a child to a private
school. Virtual Open Days and tours have proven hugely
successful and will no doubt feature even when we do get
back closer to what we understood as normal.
So yes, there has been great challenge and the sector will be
more fragile for some time to come but the resilience of the
independent sector has been never more evident and the
quality in IAPS member schools has shone through.
ABOUT IAPS
Christopher King, IAPS CEO
IAPS is a professional association for heads with over 675
members in prep, junior and pre-prep schools in the UK and
overseas. Founded in 1892, it is the largest heads’ association
within the Independent Schools Council (ISC). Schools must
reach a very high standard to be eligible for membership,
with strict criteria on teaching a broad curriculum,
maintaining excellent standards of pastoral care and keeping
staff members’ professional development training up to date.
Christopher King is chief executive, and supported by the
senior managment team, based at their headquarters in
Leamington Spa. Their priorities are determined by the IAPS
Council, made up of members, elected by members.
The IAPS school directory can be found by visiting iaps.uk
30 EPICURE | Winter 2020/21