School Show Podcast 2: How Was Back to School?

WhichSchoolAdvisor.com’s Senior Editor Jenny Mollon and International Editor Carli Allan return to the studio for the second episode of The School Show to share the latest updates in education, from nursery news to university updates. And, as parents settle into the school run once again, we find out what families make of the return to school so far.

We chat to Volentia McKenzie, a mum of three children at Safa Community School, and Karen Matthews, a Smart Vision School mum with two primary aged children, to find out how the UAE’s schools are tackling the ‘new normal’ in education. We also feature a very special pre-recorded interview with Iram Rivzi, a mum to two students at GEMS The Winchester School who have opted to continue with online learning for this academic year.

We’ve talked plenty about how the UAE’s schools planned to implement the many guidelines for opening in the time of Covid, so now it’s time to hear what the children think. The new term has started with friendly reunions (all without hugs, obviously), a return to putting on the school uniform (not the high point for every student we’re sure ), and emotional farewells at the school gate (with even more reasons than normal for mum to shed a tear).

Join us to learn how Volentia and Karen’s children have adapted to life back in a physical classroom. Are they happy to wear masks all day? Has it been difficult to stay socially distanced from friends they haven’t seen all summer? And are they still able to take part in specialist classes such as PE, music and drama?

We round off the first episode of The School Show with our Looking for a School? feature. If you’re looking for a new school – or planning to change schools – you can start your search with the many in-depth, independent School Reviews on this site. In this episode we highlight another two of WhichSchoolAdvisor.com’s School Reviews – Fairgreen International School and Dunecrest American School. If one of these schools sounds like it might be for you, you can read everything we have to say on both right here on WhichSchoolAdvisor.com.

The School Show will return in October with more great guests and topical discussions. We’d love to know what you, our readers, would be interested to hear on our podcast, and who you’d like us to invite in as guests! Drop us a line with your suggestions – editor@whichschooladvisor.com .