Three months ago, I wrote about the challenges of planning for what was then the growing threat of the coronavirus.

Now, here we are, apparently on the other side of “the peak”, and the challenges seem only to have multiplied.

With chaos in between surrounding free school meals vouchers, holiday opening and constant updates from the Department for Education, we’ve certainly not seen a quiet week since then.

But the next few weeks look likely to be positively overwhelming.

Endless amendments

The whole situation isn’t helped by the avalanche of changes that have appeared over the past week, presumably in an effort to grab some headlines that suit the government’s wishes.

What was promised as the first stage of a slow and gradual shift in expectations has now become a bonfire of regulations, it seems - or maybe reference to a “barbecue” would be more fitting, given the scenes this weekend.

The planning schools have made for small bubbles and consistent staffing all seems rather futile in the light of wider changes that have seen increasing crowds, busier streets, and friends and families meeting up - and that’s before the new changes even come into effect.

When the idea was first proposed three weeks ago, it seemed sensible to presume that children would return home at the end of each day, wash their clothes and return to an otherwise quite mundane life of isolation.

Free-for-all

Now it appears that it will be perfectly permissible for pupils to walk into school with the family from next door, make a trip the supermarket on the way home, take an evening stroll with grandma - who is otherwise meant to be shielding - and prepare themselves for the family barbecue and pool party at the weekend.

Also, when do two separate groups of six people meeting up just become one large group?

If we’re meant to be two metres apart within our groups of six, how far apart must that group be from the next one? Pictures from the press seem to suggest that it’s rather a moot point.

Maybe the government have got it all right. Maybe the risk has passed, and we’ll all be just dandy meeting up where we like, and all pretending we know what two metres looks like.

Unfortunately, in the meantime, schools and their headteachers are bound to face criticism in all directions - not unlike the period just before shutdown.

Unfairly questioned

Back in March, I was dealing with concerns about hand sanitiser and handwashing - problems that will no doubt return.

As things start to build up again, there’ll be a whole host of criticisms fired at us: 

• Why is your school still closed when the prime minister promised it would be open today?
• Why is my Year 4 child not allowed to come back?
• Why have you stopped doing the daily online learning updates?  
• Why are you not having Year 6 back at your school when the one down the road is?

The advantage of the clarity of the previous stages (eye tests in County Durham excepted) was that at least we had some clear points of reference.

Once the initial hurdle of the key worker list was overcome, we were all in broadly the same situation.

Now, as every school has to navigate its own way through the wake left by government decision and indecision, the only thing we can do is recognise that everyone’s case is likely to be different and that every school and its leadership is doing its best.

We can guarantee that there’ll be some criticism from the press, parents and politicians.

In the meantime, we can all do our best to be kind to one another within and across schools.

Michael Tidd is headteacher at East Preston Junior School in West Sussex. He tweets @MichaelT1979