Inclusive or exclusive? Democratic or autocratic? Humane or desolate?: Schools and Covid-19 aftershock: what direction next?

Our children, young people and families are presently experiencing multiple and interrelated issues playing out in the wake of the recent pandemic. Mental health and well-being, the cost-of-living crisis and a marked shift in attitudes to engaging with school and learning are evident daily. This article examines pre-pandemic schooling in England based on interschool competition, schools’ role during the pandemic involving a much broader agenda, and, as the Covid-19 threat eased, a return to their previous position as though nothing had happened. School leaders and teachers occupied a more inclusive, democratic and humane space during the pandemic, alongside teaching. This approach reflected the earlier extended schools agenda. Starmer’s government set out to provide a school that ‘supports all our children to achieve and thrive’. Could extended schools provide some clues as to what direction schools might take next?