This odd situation has been forced upon me because I have pulled my back, something that I have subsequently discovered has happened to so many other people too. Nonetheless, it does cause one to look differently at the world. One takes one’s ability to move around, to lift, to do things with ease, for granted. In fact I now realise that one’s abilities are verging on the miraculous. The human body is an immensely efficient machine, capable of so many different things. When one is not able to do many of these things and when even very minor actions induce quite considerable pain, the miraculous nature of one’s abilities becomes evident. Never again will I take my ability to pick something up for granted!!

I have also reflected again upon how fortunate we are in the staff at our school. While I have been away, Mrs. Fairhurst and Mr. Harrison have been covering all manner of things which I do, as well as continuing to do their own very considerable jobs. The rest of the Staff have also had to take on extra duties where I have not been able to be there. I’m so very grateful to them.

But what I think I have missed most is the liveliness of the place. I’ve missed the bells and the voices, the troops of people moving between lessons, the sounds of instrumental practice and of the delighted shrieks during break time. All these sounds one takes for granted, but when one is away from them, they become ever more striking.

We are very fortunate since Coronavirus to have online communication. So much can be achieved by this means, and I’m fully aware that so many people work from home these days. Almost certainly many of my reflections would not surprise a number of parents, but working in schools has meant that I’ve never really worked from home before, not even during Coronavirus when I came to school every single day because of our commitment to educate in school the children of key workers who had to be able to go to work. In many ways there are advantages to working at home but I can’t help feeling that it’s a bit like looking at the world through a window. One is one degree removed from the beating heart of things, and I certainly look forward so much to being back at school as soon as I can be.

Thank you so much to so many of you for the lovely messages I have received over the past week. We must never underestimate how striking such small kindnesses are, as the great Anglo-Irish playwright Oscar Wilde said, “The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention."

Mind you, it was also Wilde who famously said “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach!” Perhaps we can’t take him very seriously after all. See you all very shortly!