Desk arrangements represent a rare policy change that has persisted beyond the pandemic; in key stage 2, 37 per cent of students now sit in rows, compared to 28 per cent prior to the pandemic.

So said a Teacher Tapp report earlier this month.

A return to rows is probably not what many commentators had in mind when they loftily proclaimed in March and April 2020 that we were entering a bold new era where education would be revolutionised beyond recognition.

Indeed, my experience as director of education for a group of schools stretching across seven countries indicates that, rather than the permanency of an inked tattoo, Covid-era initiatives have proven to be more of a radical haircut - initially eye-catching but replaced over time.

Admittedly, some adjustments have been embedded, some trends catalysed and, undoubtedly, the lives of millions of young people have been detrimentally affected. 

But in the maelstrom of societal lockdowns, the consensus was universal - education would be transformed. Three years on, that claim is looking a little premature.

A reinforcement of the status quo?

If the forced move to online schooling demonstrated one thing, it is that schools as physical hubs - where people congregate and interact - are a necessity for the welfare of young people.

This is, perhaps, obvious in hindsight. But it seemed less so prior to the pandemic when online models, such as Moocs (massive open online courses) and the Khan Academy, were considered potential blueprints for the future.

As school closures persisted, online schools (as opposed to online schooling) proliferated - Harrow Online and Minerva’s Virtual Academy being just two to open their virtual doors.

Perhaps these schools are thriving, but their collective provision amounts to little more than a rounding error when looking at the percentage of children educated predominantly online.

The post-pandemic desire for human connection - in international schools at least - is not confined to pupils.

Steve Lupton, principal of Repton Abu Dhabi, says: “We did think some things would stay after Covid, such as online parents’ evenings and webinars, but the overwhelming feedback is that parents wanted to come back in the building. Face-to-face attendance at all our events is higher than what it was before Covid.”

This has been a largely consistent experience across Repton schools. However, for boarding schools, the retention of online sessions enables them to engage all parents, regardless of location, which has proved popular and helpful.

For CPD, too, in-person events are not the preference again but with many sessions now only delivered online, it has led to a shift in how many engage with development events.  

So, things have changed - but it’s hardly a seismic shift.

Nor has the expected curriculum overhaul materialised. Only last week, the head of Ofsted, Amanda Spielman, was bemoaning the decline in computing take up in UK schools - while maths remains as popular as ever.

And the assessment model? While GCSEs are under increasing scrutiny, the debacle of computer-assessed grades and the (marginally better) teacher-assessed grades emphasised the value of exam boards as objective adjudicators of pupil performance.

It seems unlikely that will change any time soon - and indeed the likes of ChatGPT seem set to make exams possibly even more central to assessment as faith in coursework-based assessment wanes.

An edtech evolution?

There is no doubt, though, that things have changed from the pandemic - not least how we use edtech.

According to law firm Mishcon de Reya, global investment in edtech almost doubled from 2019 to 2020, rising from $18.7 billion to $36.4 billion - a reflection of the central role educational technology was predicted to play in educational delivery post-pandemic. 

But while few would argue software providers did not play a critical role in facilitating the move to online learning, the reality is they have not taken over but simply become part and parcel of daily life and the skill of delivering - and receiving - lessons online is so deeply embedded we take it for granted.

For example, while Repton pupils in the United Arab Emirates or Cairo remotely join Latin lessons delivered by teachers in Derbyshire, it barely raises an eyebrow, while hosting our second annual Debating Festival with pupils from nine schools across the world in an online space was second nature.

Increased digital proficiency has also brought benefits from a governance perspective.

With stringent travel restrictions to China in place as late as January 2023, we conducted an online Quality Assurance Visit for our school in Xiamen. This involved observing live lessons, interviews with teachers and a tour of the school.  

While inferior to an in-person Quality Assurance Visit, it was an invaluable process and something that would have felt impossible pre-pandemic.

What we do well

Reflecting on the disruption wrought by Covid, we can certainly now dispel the notion that schools as physical locations had outlived their usefulness.

Furthermore, it showed education can adapt and take on new ways of working when they are in the best interests of staff, pupils and parents.

What’s more, schools are clearly also more than capable of trying and integrating new ways of work when it makes sense to do so, such as remote parents’ evenings, inspections or distance learning, while also recognising the benefits of sticking with long-standing - and effective - ways of working.

So, while radical progressives and edtech evangelists may lament that schooling in 2023 is not fundamentally different to what it was in 2019, the obvious conclusion is that schools were - and are - getting more things right than wrong.

Jonathan Taylor is the director of education for the Repton Family of Schools