Lockdown Podcast Project

The pandemic was particularly hard for the children of Whitley, having missed school, their friends, and on average a quarter of their young lives so at Aspire2, we worked with the local organisation, The Rock Academy to record a series of podcasts with Year 6 children across Whitley schools.

On returning to school, we felt it was important for pupils to reflect on their experiences – to share what has been challenging, but also to celebrate a return to a form of normality, and to look ahead to their futures.

Matt Foster from The Rock Academy, who worked directly with the pupils, found the experience very rewarding:

It’s been a really inspiring experience to work with the year 6 children in the Whitley schools for this project. Their honesty, confidence and communication skills have really shone through, allowing them to create a valuable document of an important time in their childhood. The focus at the beginning of the project was obviously the impact of the Covid pandemic but, as the project has developed and the lockdowns have faded a little in their memory, we have also explored their thoughts on the environment, extra curricular activities and their personal futures. Each child presented their thoughts with such consideration and maturity, I can see great things happening for them as they move on to secondary school.

Below are the words of the children themselves – creating a unique time capsule that will forever mark the importance of these years.