After many weeks of planning and preparation, the team were finally rewarded with the opportunity to welcome Hiba Academy Shanghai pupils through the doors of the nursery once again. It was hard to contain the level of excitement as we had awaited this moment for what seemed an eternity. Whilst we have spent the last four months compiling learning from home packs for the children to enjoy, and have held zoom meetings with the children, nothing can possibly compare to the feeling of having them on site – they are the life force that brings the nursery to life. Morning drop off The Hiba shanghai pupils demonstrated great courage as they entered the nursery after 19 weeks away. The children were very responsible and followed the required procedures for entering and moving around the nursery. 
A big thank you to the parents for making sure that drop off ran as smoothly as possible. We value your support very much.
A day packed with togetherness And then the day started! Back to normal, with particular emphasis on the pastoral care and wellbeing of the children, along with plentiful opportunities for them to tell their stories and recount their own personal experiences of what has been a very unusual and challenging period of time.
The focus for the team is to ensure that all the possible positives of the situation are highlighted, and we celebrate the new skills that the children have learned and developed.
Purposeful play opportunities were presented to the children with provocations to ease them back in to the Hiba way of learning. The learning was taken to the children to build their confidence and assess where they need additional opportunities for development.
This will continue to the end of the extended term, so that we can prepare the children for the transition to the next stage of their learning journey. Lunchtime Lunch was eaten in class with approved social distancing in place to protect the children. The children demonstrated great respect for their peers and enjoyed their food in a new way.
An afternoon of continued fun Learning through purposeful play continued after lunch, with specialist teachers delivering their lessons in the classrooms, minimising any potential risks.
Careful planning will afford the pupils the opportunity to use the indoor and outdoor learning spaces following stringent timelines for cleaning and disinfection.
Pick up and see you again tomorrow The children left happy and content after their first day back. Parents and family members eagerly awaited them outside, ready to hear tales of the day that had passed.
Life is back to normal. It is a new normal, nonetheless, but that’s ok. It is a normal in which we are together once again, as one happy Hiba Nursery family. And that is, quite frankly, much better than ok in my eyes!
