Prior to Covid-19, I had never considered that our lives could affected so drastically across Scotland and the rest of the world by a virus. I have always known schools are an essential part of the community and a way of combatting inequity and ensuring that all children are given the opportunity to learn. However, I had never really considered the important role that schools play in ensuring positive mental health in children and the day in day out support network provided by a school in terms of safeguarding and even ensuring that children are fed.

My enquiry was massively affected by Covid-19 in that my setting was completely closed down and has remained so for 12 months (as an inclusion base hosting children from various schools on a part-time basis, it was decided through a process of risk assessment that it could not be reopened until April 2021). With our learners being catered for by their schools, my role became virtually non teaching, instead developing resources, delivering training and supporting wellbeing.

Instead of focusing upon learners’ reading attitudes as planned I adapted my enquiry to focus on colleagues’ opinions towards reading and the strategies that they use (or think have potential) to support children in developing positive reading attitudes. By developing my awareness of what strategies are used, I have begun to implement changes within my own inclusion base which will be of benefit to learners attending including improvements to the selection of books available, creation of a dedicated reading area and timetabling of ‘oh dear’ time (drop everything and read). This work fit with the inclusion base’s SIP and will continue in next year’s session, being more focused upon individual learner’s needs and gauging how best to nurture positive reading attitudes.