EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS


Ed Ramsden


COVID-19


Were you or your staff furloughed at any stage?


I live onsite so I haven’t been furloughed at any point during the pandemic. At fi rst, we had myself and one other person on site and the rest of the team were furloughed. This improved over the next few weeks allowing three of us to be in. The team then went on a rota of three weeks on - three weeks off increasing throughout the summer.


How did this aff ect you, both personally and at work?


I have only been here since January 2020 so, I have to say, this wasn’t an easy start. As a family, we were unable to get out and explore the area and make friends. Workwise, I was really thrown in at the deep end; I hadn’t had time to properly know my way around the sites, let alone get to know the team around me. After a short time, when others returned, it was just a case of trying to keep on top of things. This was so


frustrating; when you arrive at a new job you want to show what you can do. It felt at times like I just couldn’t win and things were going backwards. When team members came back in, it was great to see the support that they gave me and they just got on with anything that needed doing. The site was very quiet and it was just a generally strange feeling.


Were you able to keep on top of things?


Yes, to a point. The school never closed, as we were open to Key Worker children, but we were aware that the school could fully reopen at short notice, so our main sites had to be kept at a good-to-go standard.


What condition was the surface in once you were able to return full-time?


Everything was good, apart from Abington. This site had a lot of catching up to do but, after a few weeks back, apart from colour and presentation, we were on top again.


Have you still been able to purchase sundries such as fertiliser, topdressing, hire in machinery/contractors etc.?


We have still been able to purchase what we needed. It was the staffi ng levels that dictated what we did or didn’t do.


Have there been any positives arising from the current situation?


We are getting through it and, despite everything, we are still making progress.


Has your mental health suff ered?


Sadly yes. In my past, I have suff ered with depression and I have found things really hard to deal with. I had two big moves across the country (in twelve months), which was a big ask in itself - but, to throw Covid in there as well was a bit much. I am really hard on myself when it comes to work and constantly want to push things forward. For everything to be taken out of my hands, and see things going backwards, was really hard for me. We also have three children, who needed to be home-schooled, whilst my wife and I both worked throughout. I attended a cognitive behavioural therapy counselling course in the spring (via Zoom) to try and fi nd a way to deal with things. I have also ended up on medication to try and


PC February/March 2021


75


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132