Instead of being engrossed in negativity, I used my time during lockdown to be proactive and continue to build on the partnerships I had created before this time. I found myself being part of a focus group with the
Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, where we discussed possibilities for live and streamed theatre performances during lockdown and beyond. I also continued to work towards my school achieving
Artsmark and on developing the school's
Local Cultural Education Partnership (LCEP). I worked alongside Curious Minds to support local schools and colleges and planned projects that will enable us to give our students new and exciting opportunities. I found myself reaching out to virtual communities, to share ideas and resources, which led to me becoming a mentor for the delivery of GCSE and A Level Drama via Facebook.
In addition to this, I was given the opportunity to work beyond my role at my school and lead groups of school leaders from around the world as we discussed how to engage and support staff through these challenging times (and beyond) by adopting a 2% mindset.
I think my school was incredibly positive and proactive in its response to promoting the arts throughout our student body and the wider community. For example, we held our GCSE and A Level Art exhibitions virtually and produced a glossy brochure. Live music performances were recorded and streamed, and extra-curricular clubs continued to engage with students, enabling them to proudly share their lockdown work through the school’s website and Twitter accounts. There's no doubt that lockdown was a challenging time, but it also forced us to move education in the direction it was already heading at a much faster pace. We used technology in new and exciting ways, engaged in networks and partnerships that we perhaps would not have done otherwise, and developed banks of resources that will be relevant and useful for students for years to come.
It came as a hugely welcome opportunity when GCSE and A Level students were able to return to school in June. I took this opportunity to re-engage them in completing and filming their devised pieces of theatre - working with them in a way that is close to the way I have worked for nearly 20 years. The reason I have left this until the end is because it brought to my attention the effect that lockdown has had on students’ mental health and well-being. From conversations I’ve had with other arts leaders since returning to full-time teaching in September, this issue appears to be most prominent and yet problematic in schools. After so many years of being side-lined for not being EBacc subjects, or not being ‘academic’ enough, or supposedly not being accepted by redbrick universities, now is the time that the arts need to lead the way to help teachers to work to find creative ways of teaching and to support students to develop their ability to express themselves and develop their levels of mindfulness and resilience as we all navigate this ‘new normal’.