In some senses, life in Britain is slowly returning to normal. Thousands of people gathered to watch Royal Ascot last week. Next week is Wimbledon, where 15,000 fans will pack into centre court to watch the finals. Meanwhile at Euro 2021, up to 65,000 people are expected to attend the tournament’s climax at Wembley.
It’s wonderful to see these sporting events back. However, it is deeply troubling that this ‘can do’ attitude doesn’t seem to apply to events holding equivalent significance in children’s lives.
The end of what has been a historically troubled school year is upon us. Usually as children prepare for the summer holidays, it’s a rare chance for them to celebrate and let their hair down: sports days, proms, discos, plays, open days and trips are the traditional climax marker of a school year.
The end of what has been a historically troubled school year is upon us
However, for the last fortnight, social media has been awash – at first with a trickle but now with a flood – of reports of these rites of passage being pared back, ‘virtualised’, or simply abandoned.
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