For the first time in 180 days, our community welcomed students back into school. It was nothing short of fantastic.

Of course, it was not an easy route to this day. From the redesigning of classrooms, to the scheduling of simultaneous remote and real-time teaching, all the way to the sourcing and purchase of thermal scanners, it was a painstaking process.

But seeing students back in classrooms validated every second of it.

We learned a lot, too, as anticipation and planning met reality. Here are five key insights I took away from a first day back like no other.

Schools reopening: What we’ve learned on our first day back

1. A warm welcome helps to ease worries

One of the best things we did today was to get as many staff members out and around the school as possible to welcome back families.

The apprehension during arrival was clear but having teachers out in force helping to normalise the process was invaluable.

Before long, the familiar back-to-school conversations and questions were flowing and, dare I say it, it started to feel like a normal first day back.

Getting the community together again, albeit from a distance, was great.

2. Accept that your planning is fluid

Despite all the planning, sometimes you just need to see things unfold and respond to them.

It will almost certainly need compromise and an acceptance that ideas that have been discussed for hours may need to be dismissed without ego. Controlled contributions are valuable from all directions, especially from those who are on the front line implementing things.

For instance, it is clear that moving through school while maintaining a distance isn’t immediately easy for students, so we have already marked transition times between lessons as something to keep under review.

3. Solve problems for teachers

Now, more than ever, teachers need to be given space and support to do what they do best; teach. Every minute they spend on working out some of the “how” questions makes it harder.

They are facing classrooms where, in many cases, no two lockdown experiences have even been close to comparable.

If we want teachers to thrive in new circumstances, we need to devote as much time to breaking down the logistical barriers for them as possible.

For instance, we spent hours investigating and researching the best methods for dual location teaching using different devices and Bluetooth headsets, so that when the teachers need the technology, it’s reliable, efficient and easy to use.

The first day suggested this was worth it as we had no tech failures or baffled teachers...whether this lasts is another matter, but it was a good start.

4. Students really appreciated our efforts

As we asked students to help us to reflect on the day, their gratitude and appreciation was heart-warming.

They wanted to be back in school to see their friends, their teachers and to learn.

They made every effort to work with us, and their desire to engage and support with new procedures exceeded all expectations. As we continue to develop our return to school, their voice and feedback is a key component.

5. Rome wasn’t built in a day

Forgive the cliché, but it’s important to stress this point. It’s not realistic to have the final answer on the first day, so putting that pressure on yourself is unhelpful.

Communicate clearly, listen to feedback and focus on getting closer tomorrow than you were today.

And so, 180 days later, we are reunited as a community and, together, we face the next 70-day chapter until winter break.

They are 70 days of unknowns and challenges, but, more importantly, they are 70 days of possibilities and opportunities. 

The experiences of the past months have sparked our creativity and innovation, our resilience and our determination, but, most of all, they have made us realise just how much we missed each other.

Niall Statham is head of physical education at Hartland International School in Dubai