Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 pupils are continuing their Rainbow Journals at home to help them reflect on the range of emotions they are experiencing throughout lockdown. Each week has a different focus - pupils are encouraged to embrace all of their emotions, and to come up with their own strategies for coping with these emotions.

Week 3 focused on the feelings of loss which we have all felt throughout our lockdown experience. This can range from the loss of going shopping, going to school, hugging friends, sports teams participation, to loss of a loved one.

Pupils were encouraged to reflect upon these feelings of loss and, if they felt comfortable, discuss those feelings with family members and/or friends via technology or socially distanced. Pupils were also given the option to express their feelings of loss through poetry/song writing/a medium they felt comfortable with.

Below are a few of the poems/songs which our pupils have written about loss. Thank you Harvey, Natty and Lucas!

In these difficult times,

We need to understand

That the world is getting better,

And we can’t give a hand

If we accept these changes

Everything will be alright

Cause in the end it will be good

If we hold in all our might

We can take good from this

From workouts to fun

And we can learn from this a lot

When we are back together

We can have fun again

And even if we can’t

We will not take it as pain.

(Harvey)

Lack of physical contact

Overwhelming feelings

Seeing friends not allowed

Sadness at times.

(Natty)

Now we’re all locked inside the house

Savour every time we’re out

Dunno when we’re gonna get it

So it’s better not to be out

Boris said to stay inside

But Boris also nationwide

Told us all to set (it) aside

Now regretting his mistake,

He’s tryna tell us to ‘turn the tide’

He’s gambling on his citizens

Death toll: Significant

And now we’re flicking through all of our times with friends’ images.

But there’s a way to spend quarantine

I guess I’ll call it the cuisine

People sweating WarZone and causing

A drop in their hygiene

No more school, so no more friends

Will this virus ever end?

They say they’re working on a cure

But how much time will they spend?

Seems like we’re all sitting ducks

Right now, where we depend

On the government’s ability

To keep us from the end.

(Lucas)