72 In September 2020, a new set of Lower Sixth NCOs returned to school. It was exciting to be able to put into practice everything we had learnt from our predecessors and pass it on to younger cadets, but daunting at the same time because of Covid restrictions. This meant that we had to teach over Zoom from another classroom or with a face mask and visor in the class, something we had not planned for. Yet it encouraged us to think outside the box for training, for example, planning sessions outside when the weather was good. Helped by the Upper Sixth, we were able to continue regular sessions on a Friday, which was a relief from the lockdown before the summer holidays. Unfortunately, it was not to last as another lockdown in January put our hopes of face-to-face teaching on hold. For all of the NCOs, it was a challenge to come up with activities to engage our sections. Teaching over Zoom was difficult, but everyone persevered and there were some inventive training sessions. Katy Lotherington, a Year 10Watch NCO, said that although it was more challenging to teach through Zoom, she found it actually sparked more creativity and enthusiasm. Tasks were set away from the screen, for example The Great Navy Bake Off took place, as well as planning navigation routes for the cadets to walk around their local area. Fortunately with the return to school, we were able to start teaching in person again, especially as the weather had improved. Activities such as drill practice, PLTs and even scuba diving were able to be run again, as well as lessons on ropework, ranks and rates, first aid and much more. Lessons were also planned away from the syllabus, such as a presentation on the Bermuda Triangle and the Mary Celeste Navy
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