Covid-19: Student anxiety eases after first day back at school in level 3

Tuesday, 26 October 2021

Senior students head back to school, despite Auckland remaining in alert level 3.

Schools across Auckland have reopened their doors after more than eight weeks of closure, to the relief of senior students.

Year 11 to year 13 students have been granted return by the Government in order to prepare for their upcoming NCEA exams, which are due to take place at the end of November.

With day one in the classroom done, students agreed the initial nervousness soon wore off.

Papatoetoe High School year 13 student Cindy Nguyen said she wasn’t happy at the prospect of school reopening at alert level 3, but “after one day of learning at school it’s made such a big difference”.

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Patrick Drumm, the headmaster of Mount Albert Grammar School, welcomes students back to school.

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Learning was a lot easier in person, she said, and everyone was following the rules.

“I came to school super nervous, not knowing what's going to happen, but now I feel I could go to school and still feel safe.”

For Jasmine Setchell, who is in year 13 at Hobsonville Point Secondary School, Tuesday was her first experience of wearing a mask for longer than a supermarket trip, but she said it soon felt normal.

There was an “uneasy feeling” going into a busy building, but students were good at respecting each other’s space and staying distanced, she said.

Carys Long, who is in year 12 at Avondale College, said she was “very nervous” about going back.

“It didn’t make sense to me that we were at level 3 but we could be at a massive school with all these people around.”

But with a social distancing and mask-wearing strictly enforced by teachers, she said she felt much safer by the end of the day.

Mt Albert Grammar headmaster Patrick Drumm was chipper about students’ return to school on Tuesday morning.

Mount Albert Grammar School has opened its doors to senior students. (File photo)

“There’s the natural hesitancy of breaking the ice and restarting school after 10 weeks, but there certainly is an air of excitement,” he said.

“We’re confident that once today goes well – and it will – that good news will spread to the community, and we’ll get an increase in attendance over the next few days,” he said.

Mt Albert Grammar students described a mixed bag of emotions, running the gamut from relief to stress.

Student Luke Araus Blanchett said he was “relieved” to be returning to school but felt “underprepared” for his upcoming exams as revision at home had been difficult.

Adeeva Khan, who is sitting NCEA for the first time, said she felt prepared despite the stress, and was pleased that the teachers had already dished out plenty of work for the upcoming week.

Most students simply expressed gratitude at being able to reunite with friends after more than two months apart.

“It’s just tough not being able to hug them,” said Khan.

James Cook High School students Vikatolia Kolotau, Michael Pelalaiga and Faafiu Toleafoa on their first day back at school under alert level 3.

At James Cook High School in Manurewa, more than a third of eligible students had returned on Tuesday morning, principal Grant McMillan said.

“We’ve had a really good start back. It is going really well.”

McMillan said students were experiencing “a whole range” of emotions upon their return, with some “happy to be here but anxious about health” and others who were simply “happy to get out of home”.

Year 13 student Faafiu Toleafoa said she was scared about going back because of rising Covid-19 case numbers.

“My family pushed me to come back,” she said.

Her classmates Vikatolia Kolotau and Michael Pelalaiga agreed it was good to be back and to make the most of the last months at school.

On the North Shore, where suburbs have seen a high percentage of positive cases, the number of returning students was still strong.

Gregory Pierce, the principal of Orewa College, said attendance for the first day back was between 75 per cent and 80 per cent.

Senior students have returned to school to prepare for upcoming NCEA exams.

“We are really pleased [with these numbers] considering these unprecedented circumstances. This reaffirms the community’s confidence in Orewa College,” he said.

Similarly, Albany Senior High School principal Claire Amos said about 120 students were back on site.

“There's a really lovely atmosphere around the school. The students are really enjoying the opportunity to come in and check in with their teachers, pick up equipment and get what they need.”

One student had made a beeline for the principal early in the morning to express her excitement at returning and being able to reconnect with her teachers. She was “beside herself”, said Amos.

“I can see that, for some young people, this has been really necessary for them to get the support and the connection that they need.”

Ashleigh Bindon, a student at Albany Senior High School, said it was “very weird” being back with masks and social distancing.

“You can see everyone but you can’t go near them; you can talk to them but you can’t understand them properly.

Principals Federation president Perry Rush said the reopening of schools had given students the opportunity to prepare for exams, gain a sense of normality and get back into a routine, something that was “vital” to their learning and wellbeing.

Principals Federation president Perry Rush says the reopening of schools has given students the chance to prepare for exams, gain a sense of normality and get back into a routine. (File photo)

He said he understood why some parents were torn on whether to return their children to school, but he assured them that there were multiple learning methods available.

“Parents will be making decisions themselves on what they think is safe, and that is OK,” he said.

Sean Teddy, leader (hautū) of operations and integration at the Ministry of Education, said there was no target for the number of students the ministry hoped would return to schools, and students would be supported whether they attended in person or continued to learn at home.

“We are working with schools and kura to manage the return of senior students, which will be in the various ways that each reflect the student’s specific circumstances,” he said.

“We will provide support if required to make sure all senior students have access to quality learning programmes and activities,” he said.

While some schools are welcoming students back, others remain hesitant.

Kia Aroha College in Ōtara, for example, has kept its doors closed.

Speaking to Stuff ahead of the opening date, principal Haley Milne said even though at-home learning wasn’t “an ideal situation”, the school believed the safety of its young people was “more important than a few extra NCEA credits this year”.

To cater to the returning students, Auckland Transport has put on extra bus and ferry services, with school bus services now operating as normal to secondary schools.

Cash is not accepted on public transport under alert level 3, and face coverings must be worn when travelling on public transport or when waiting at a stop or station.