Teachers' dedication during Covid remembered

Five years since Guernsey schools closed for the first Covid lockdown, islanders have been looking back at what happened and how the pandemic impacted their lives.

Nick Hynes, who at the time was the head of Inclusion and Services for Children and Schools, said it was a "scary" time.

"At the time, it felt like we were making very big decisions - not only personally but for the whole community - and not quite understanding what that might mean then and in the future."

He said during the lockdown teachers worked through their Easter holidays and supported Guernsey's most vulnerable students.

The now director of education said: "After Covid, education was struggling for a long time, because of the ongoing illness of staff and pupils, and the challenges of recruiting and retaining staff.

"I'll never forget the dedication that staff put in, without complaining."

For Kieran James, principal of the Sixth Form Centre, the transition to online learning was the first challenge.

He said: "We started working with telecoms agencies and businesses to distribute wi-fi dongles because we realised immediately that some students couldn't learn online as they didn't have internet access.

"We were literally going round dropping dongles and books through people's postboxes so students could learn.

"I think we all came back thinking, 'we do like school, we like being in school, and this is our community'."

Sophia Roger, now 17 and studying at the Sixth Form Centre, said: "I think, as an island, we did deal with it really well.

"We came together and did what we were told to do to pretty quickly which prevented any spread [of Covid].

"I don't feel that I missed out on too much education, because my school at the time [Blanchelande College] made sure we had what we needed.

She said the lockdowns taught her to be more grateful.

"We value things more now.

"We value social interactions with our friends and having one-on-one conversations with our teachers, even going out to the shop."

Tom Rylatt remembers leaving university in a rush and later struggling to complete his studies online.

But he says spending the summer months of the first lockdown in Guernsey gave him a much better experience than that of his peers in the UK.

"It was one of the only times in my life it felt as though everyone was putting their faith in the States - they were pulling for us and we were pulling for them - which doesn't always feel like the case now.

"What I remember was community, freedom and good weather."

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