There is no doubting it; the past few months have been hard. The bad weather and the lack of daylight seem to have made this lockdown more difficult than the last. One of the most difficult aspects of lockdown has been the lack of distinction between Home and School. Our children seem to spend hours in their rooms working, revising and now even socialising. School books and stationary seem to cover every surface …..and floor. Home doesn’t feel a place to relax in or switch off from your busy day at school. Fortunately the children at Cargilfield have had a full programme of live lessons. However, what they have really missed out on are all the other aspects that a Prep School provides; sport every day, clubs in the evening, boarding weekends, being with your peer group and having fun, even the odd falling out and arguments with friends which provide the resilience that children need to cope later on. These are the things along side the academics that allow the children to grow.

As a parent of teenagers, the blurred lines between home and school over these last few months  have definitely lead to frustration and more arguments. Even though many of my friends thought I was mad sending my children to Boarding School, one of the big things I learnt early on was that actually Home for them became even more special. My relationship with them became better and there were definitely fewer arguments as home became a place to relax in and somewhere where they wanted to be in the holidays. 

So, as the light at the end of that tunnel to normality becomes a bit brighter, we can be ever more hopeful that children here at Cargilfield can get back to doing what Prep Schools do best- long, fun filled days of activities, performing in plays, competing in matches, singing in choirs, creating and debating. There might even be time for a bit of work in between! And then maybe  “home” can really be Home.