It is when the chips really are down - when they are literally cascading across the floor - that people will often step up and show what they are really like. Its heart-warming when that happens. I remember vividly one morning as a deputy head, when I was in sole charge of sorting cover for absent teachers, when I simply felt at a loss. This was around two decades in the past and a virulent 'flu epidemic starting to dismantle the staffing for the day. The 'phone calls started before I left home and continued when I reached the office; a relentless stream of poorly teachers giving their excuses for not arriving in school. It was obvious to me that these were genuine cases, and that the problem was only going to get worse. Supply staff were going to be very difficult to get at very short notice as other schools were in the same position, and the hole in my staff complement was expanding as the minutes ticked by. Then, unprompted, a steady stream of colleagues arrived in my office, wanting to know what they could do to help in a crisis. It didn't matter any more whether these were people that I got on with or not, whether we had a shared educational perspective or whether I shared coffee with them in the staff room. Everyone pitched in and it made an enormous difference. We got through together; it wasn't easy for any of us but I came out of the experience feeling really positive.
That feeling is here again. The figures for infections, the closure of schools and the existential threat of the virus all contribute to the impression of being under siege. And yet, at the same time there are very good examples of individuals bonding together to make a difference, stepping up even before they are asked. When the notion of mass testing in schools was first put forward by HM Govt a number of parents wrote straight away to offer their services, including a number of doctors. I was really grateful for an instinctive offer of help from Clive Marriott at Salisbury Cathedral School. When the possibility of helping with the administration of vaccines a whole raft of Year 12 boys and girls wanted to get involved, so many in fact that their names had to be chosen by lottery. And now of course the Cathedral has become the vaccination hub for the city centre, offering hope for the future for the members of our community that are most vulnerable to the effects of Covid. The image of the nave, with patients and religious symbolism jointly reflected in the still waters of the font is utterly memorable.
The next few months will still be hard, and there will still be times where hope is hard to cling to, but I will still emerge with a similar feeling to all those years ago when faced with a crisis of confidence in the early morning. Beyond all of the bickering, political arguments and occasional spin there is real strength in the way that people work together in a crisis. We are all stronger together.
SDS
