For the next article in our Young Voices feature, student Olivia Harris, aged 17, shares her view about the impact of Covid restrictions at the end of the academic year.

The summer holidays are beginning to arise, and as we come to the end of an academic year, many questions surface about the impact Covid has had on our education.

Online learning has had its positives and negatives for many, but what’s clear, is that the quality of our learning was a lot lower than usual.

This was partly due to the availability of devices, the loss of face-to-face interaction and a drop in concentration span.

For me, it was definitely unusual returning back into a classroom, and while it was great to resume in normal learning activities, I could see that for many the time lost was vital.

In the upcoming months after summer, a lot of catch-up work may have to be completed, to regain a sense of control over our academic abilities.

On top of all of this extra work, a large number of teenagers will face sitting an exam as soon as next year.

Will anything be done to cater for our misfortunes for the past two years and are teacher assessed grades/ topic revealed exams the way into the future for a more stress-free school life?

As a teenager myself currently in the education system, I really do hope that this will be a turning-point for learning and exams, especially for those that do not achieve under exam conditions.

In the next school/college year a lot will possibly change back to how it once was, with no mask wearing, no social distancing and more group work.

Whilst this possibility is on the horizon, for some, masks have become their comfort blankets and they will need to be eased back into a new normal in the classroom.

Let’s take the time to have a good break over summer, to come back fresh and prepared for our education next year!