Well, readers - we made it. The last few teachers finished today and the weirdest school year in living memory - actually, scratch that, EVER - is finally over.

And we’ve survived. Just.

If you’re anything like me, the end of term is often ushered in with a raucous night out when everyone drinks too much in the afternoon sun and ends up on a dance floor at 3am, ties askew and sensible shoes cast aside, dancing in a sticky nightclub where the bar staff are almost certainly ex-students.

The end of a weird school year

This is then followed by what I have come to know affectionately as “beer fear”, where I wake up nauseous for more than one reason. Did I really corner the head of key stage 4 last night to tell her my unvarnished thoughts about Year 10?

Thankfully, that is not going to happen this year, even with the lockdown restrictions easing in most areas.

Even after the end-of-term hangover abates, it often takes some time to ease into the holiday period. This is likely to be even more difficult after the insanity of balancing working from home, live lessons, recorded lessons or socially-distant school days.

So, what are some good ways to adapt common “teacher wind-down” activities in a socially distant way?

Summer holiday plans

In short, your plan should be to do as little as possible.

Unless (like me) you have small children demanding “toast and ‘ot milk” at ungodly hours, the ceremonial deletion of the usual alarm is a cause for some joy. But this year, why not capitalise on that lack of hangover and leave it on?

It will make it all the more delicious when you realise there is no reason to actually get up.

You can snuggle back down with a book, make a leisurely coffee, start a new Netflix series… after all, it’s unlikely that you’re going to have lots of social activities demanding your attention.

Embrace the pottering

Don’t you have to meet up with friends?

With social distancing still in full force, take advantage of the fact that you won’t have the usual flurry of catching up with non-teacher friends and family. With most of us working online more than we ever have done, it’s easy to think that face-to-face interaction is a good tonic. But is it, really?

I have found that increased screen time has left my brain busier than ever and, after a long day at the computer, I have been more exhausted than I would have been after doing a full day of teaching.

Resist the urge to launch yourself into the usual summer holiday catch-ups, for a few days at least, and savour the slowness and silence of pottering.

We can’t know for sure what September will hold for any of us - so I urge you to take this time now to relax, recharge and rejuvenate yourself.

Happy holidays!

Laura May Rowlands is head of faculty for English and literacy at Woodlands Community College in Southampton