Covid Chronicles
Year 6 children from Ermington Primary School, one of the University of Plymouth’s practice partners, share their experiences of life in lockdown and returning to school. These would have been their last few weeks with their school friends before moving on to different secondary schools. In the recordings below and through their drawings, the students reflect on enjoying time with their families, missing their friends, learning new skills and staying positive. 
We invited the students to share their work with us so that other children – and parents and teachers – might learn about their different experiences. This work also forms part of the Plymouth Institute of Education's ongoing research projects on the effects of Covid-19 in the South West. Finding out how different groups respond to the challenges and opportunities of lockdown, home learning and working safely is of vital importance to prepare for possible future disruption. 
Local sixth form students who were working with us on the Nuffield Future Researchers placement over the summer of 2020 helped to analyse the children’s work.