Page 32 - Herioter 2021

NOVEMBER

‘A strong spread of the disease.
That does not mean we were immune. By
the end of November, all Senior School pupils
community and teachers were wearing masks in classrooms.
Sanitising of desks and spaces continued. Year
groups effectively became ‘bubbles’. Lunch
built on service at the refectory, at least for older pupils,
was a grab-and-go affair.
Group work and ‘huddling’ was discouraged.
Attendance in the sixth year common room was
helping restricted to 20. Playing cards during registration
time was banned. Parents were required to wear
face coverings at pick up. Parent, pupil, teacher
others’ meetings were conducted virtually.
There is, however, only so much an
organisation can do: the disease would find a way.
In truth, positive Covid-19 infections were
scarce. Only 12 children tested positive in
There was no pretending that life at Heriot’s could November – one in the Junior School, 11 in the
be ‘normal’ – a reality that was thrown into sharp Senior School. It was the repercussions of track
focus in November. In Scotland, new Covid-19 and trace that were the most devastating.
restrictions came into force on November 2, with It seemed cruel that S1 would bear the brunt of
City of Edinburgh placed into Tier 3, banning the the disease, a year group that would very quickly
mixing of households indoors and the closure of have to get used to a different way of working via
all hospitality settings by 6pm. Schools, the First Firefly and Teams. But when faced with evidence
Minister said, would stay open. of ‘community transmission’ among S1 pupils,
And so, of course, we did. Although we were there was little choice: the entire year had to self-
in a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, this isolate for a fortnight. That period saw the peak
was not March, and the importance of keeping of the impact of Covid-19 on the school: on one
schools open was acknowledged as vital to the Thursday in mid-November, some 244 pupils, with
mental health of young people in an environment all 13 year groups represented, were off school for
that was not seen as ‘high-risk’ in terms of the Covid-related reasons.

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