Education

Navigating The Pandemic As An International School Community

Like all schools across the world, since March 2020 we have been working hard to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic – including multiple lockdowns, school closures, exam cancellations and endless restrictions, all while supporting the wellbeing of the community.

Almost two years on from the start of the pandemic, students and teachers from across our campuses reflect on the key challenges they have overcome, and what they have taken away from the experience.

Adapting To Online Learning

Of course, one of the biggest hurdles for schools in the early days of the pandemic was the immediate switch to online learning. For the majority of teachers around the world, the delivery of large-scale distance learning was a completely new entity, but within a matter of days our students and teachers were up online ready to keep learning.

Dr Robert Harrison, our Education Strategy Director played a pivotal role in ensuring both teachers and students were equipped to manage online learning. Reflecting on the response from our community, he comments: “Our teachers immediately stepped up to deliver new models for emergency remote learning. There were, of course, teething issues as everyone got up to speed with tech and adapted to the loss of face-toface interaction. We were also amazed at the resilience and overall engagement of students - many of whom were really missing the day-to-day interaction with teachers and friends at school”.

For both teachers and students, online learning provided many important lessons about effective education delivery, and the use of technology in the classroom, particularly methods of blended learning, is something we will certainly be embedding more going forward. Across our schools, however, the pandemic helped facilitate a deeper appreciation for on-campus learning. Martin Hall, Head of our Hillingdon School, summarises: “The best part about the return to school was seeing children active and energetic, running around on the sports pitches rather than cooped up in their houses”.

Elhussein Elsharif, Middle School Teacher of Mathematics, added: “The difference between remote learning and face-to-face learning is like watching or playing football. The passion and enthusiasm are still there but it is nothing compared to the team spirit and collaboration that happens on the pitch. I am so glad to have my team back!”.

Speaking about the return to school in March 2021, one of our students said: “I really missed my friends and the whole school environment during lockdown. I am excited for different activities in lessons that we weren’t able to do over Zoom, meeting new people and socialising with friends that I haven’t seen in a while. I did enjoy distance learning but I think being back will improve my schooling experience a lot, including my grades and my mental and physical health”.

Alongside continuity of education delivery, the health and wellbeing of the school community has been a top priority for us throughout the pandemic

Ensuring Wellbeing And Building Resilience

Alongside continuity of education delivery, the health and wellbeing of the school community has been a top priority for us throughout the pandemic. With endless uncertainty, loss and loneliness, the importance of supporting each other’s mental health has reached a whole new level in the last two years.

Our students and teachers have access to a robust support network, including counsellors and advisers as well as a range of external partners who provide higher-level counselling support and mental health first aid training to our pastoral care teams. This network is essential for ensuring that when someone needs help, they have it, and they don’t need to worry or feel afraid about asking for it.

Speaking about how students navigated the challenges of the pandemic and how it impacted their wellbeing, Sophie Mazaz, a Middle School Principal, says: “The resilience in young people I have witnessed is phenomenal. Children have had to keep going with their learning and I think they have coped tremendously well. They have had to deal with being isolated and without their peers. They have had to manage their own anxieties around the pandemic, while also seeing the anxiety of their parents or their family rising. We need to see children and what they have achieved as remarkable”.

Students Going Above And Beyond

Indeed, not only did students cope extremely well with the endless changes and challenges, but they actually went a step further and a range of student initiatives to support one another were set up throughout the pandemic. By way of example, when the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) exams were first cancelled in May 2020, final year students from across our schools, determined to do something meaningful with their time in lockdown, developed a series of peer-to-peer educational resources to support Grade 11 students who were studying the DP.

Haya and Annefien, two students of our students, developed and launched ‘IB Aid’ last academic year to provide tips, experiences and revision examples for four DP courses, as well as the IB core subjects. Haya commented: “The end of the first year is one of the most challenging times in the DP, and we felt it was only right that we share our experiences and provide advice on things that would have been useful for us to know at this time. Throughout the DP, you often look to other students to provide more personal support and offer their expertise, but, during the pandemic, it wasn’t as easy for students to reach out to their teachers and peers for help. We hope IB Aid helped bridge some of these gaps”.

Two other students, Jaden and Eemil, also created a database of example work and guides across all IB courses, as well as delivering a series of virtual masterclasses on IB core subjects, the extended essay and theory of knowledge. Jaden commented:

“I think having the perspective of another student always has massive benefits, and, particularly with the extended essay masterclass, we think it was helpful for students to hear our approaches to the project, what strategies we applied and how we wrote our own first drafts”.

Moving On From School In A Time Of Disruption

COVID-19 was a huge disruptor for many of our final year students who, as well as navigating exam cancellations, were trying to make decisions about their next steps after they finish school. At the best of times, moving on to university can be one of the most daunting times of a young person’s life. So, what was it like starting university in a different country in the middle of a global pandemic?

Simon Ogundare, a graduate from one of our campuses, moved to New York to study the Pre-Med track at Columbia University in September 2020 and immediately dived into remote university study. He commented: “This was a little disappointing as I know learning remotely can feel isolating at times, but it was good that the university was clearly prioritising our health and I felt lucky that I could still get started with my higher education – albeit not in the way originally imagined!’’.

Summarising the experience of his first semester, Simon said: “Moving to a different country for higher education is a common track for many of our school’s graduates, and it’s been good having others – including my twin sister – in the same boat as a support network. Columbia has also really gone above and beyond to support new students. Over the summer the university ran a variety of virtual induction events and we had a very robust online orientation programme as we couldn’t be on campus this year. No matter where you were in the world, it was no secret that university life was going to be different, but it’s all manageable, and I’m grateful for all the support systems I have in place to make this weird year a bit easier”.

This article has been supplied by ACS International Schools.

ACS International Schools has three UK campuses in Hillingdon, Cobham and Egham, and a fourth campus in Doha, Qatar. The ACS community is made up of students and staff members representing over 70 countries, with ACS Cobham offering boarding for families living further afield from the schools and outside of the UK. Like all schools across the world, since March 2020 ACS has been working hard to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic – including multiple lockdowns, school closures, exam cancellations and endless restrictions, all while supporting the wellbeing of the community.

For further information please visit www.acs-schools.com.

Hillingdon campus

Egham campus