I visited the Ongar Academy last week, for the first time since the pandemic, to meet their impressive new headteacher, Michelle Steadman and to talk to her as she completes her second term at the school. The pupils I met, including Grace and Henry, were in good spirits despite having had a challenging time with remote learning during the Covid lockdowns. The school and its new head were full of positivity and I have no doubt that the academy is going to go from strength to strength despite the ongoing problems with staff and pupil absence due to the virus still reverberating, albeit at less lethal levels than it did last year and the year before. Covid is not yet finished - but, thanks to the vaccine programme, we are learning to live with it.
