The Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS) has a new HQ, in an office development we have purchased as an investment and which we moved into during December 2021. It’s been designed to accommodate all the staff in comfortable, professional surroundings and has plenty of glass, light and fresh paint.
Some of you may raise an eyebrow at this news as surely we are, as a nation, moving out of offices into our own homes for work on a permanent basis. Well, to judge by our experience, that is very much not the case, although we are adopting more flexible working practices for those staff who welcome this.
“A few described committee meetings in person as ‘a bit weird’.”
Indeed, this week has been quite revealing as we have held the first round of our termly committee meetings. They have been extremely well attended by representatives drawn from around the country, who were very keen to meet in person.
A few described the experience as “a bit weird” after remote meetings had usurped the more traditional structure, but all really enjoyed the face-to-face discussion and remembered in doing so what they had missed. In short, they saw this as a return to normality, reflecting an attitude which is being adopted by schools right across the country.
What schools too are seeking to do is to return to “normal” and to leave the restrictions imposed when combating Covid well behind. There will be some operational and structural changes within our schools which are a legacy of the last 18 months, but essentially what is happening is a return to normal patterns, routines and operations.
“A light is being shone on what everyone has been missing.”
Sports fixtures have returned to our schools to very largely the historic pattern and, at IAPS, we have been delighted that our sports competitions are all up and running. We run over 170 events at venues throughout the UK and involving 22 different sports. This year will be a new record for participation in our sports events. To judge by the size of the programme we offer and the enthusiasm shown by the participants at the events held to date, what we see is a light being shone on what everyone had been missing.
School trips are also back on the school calendar, although the pandemic period has here, perhaps, given the opportunity for a rethink about what the offer will be. Not surprisingly, there is a reluctance to commit to overseas visits but especially where that might involve long haul flights. The rethink here is caused significantly by consideration of the sustainability of such tours and also, no doubt, their high cost.
Schools are booking trips to Europe but others are holding back until the picture with regards to Covid-19 is just a bit clearer. The desire for such trips is still there, and therefore it’s not “if” such trips return but just “when”.
“The desire for foreign trips is still there.”
The building projects that schools had to put on hold during lockdown are beginning to get under way again and interestingly there is clearly much investment going into constructing new classrooms. Classrooms, or perhaps more accurately teaching spaces, which are fit for delivering the curriculum which is itself under review in very many schools.
It does seem that there is more than a little justification then to claim that IAPS schools are getting back to normal, with a new confidence; no doubt buoyed by the noticeable uptick in demand for places. The days are lengthening and the mood of optimism is growing as we all welcome back a return to what we know and love.