The head teacher of St Nicolas and St Mary CE Primary School, David Etherton, has been recording daily ‘Awesome Assemblies’ for pupils and parents to join online. Accompanied by the head creature, Mr Badger, Mr Etherton has put on a fire juggling show, baking session and a visit to a farm to brighten up his pupils’ mornings. “The school closure will have a massive impact on the children,” said Mr Etherton, who picked up circus skills like juggling and unicycling while at university. “A lot of children and their families will feel really isolated at this time and by showing my face and continuing with a little bit of normality, it shows I myself and the staff are there and thinking of them all, which is really important.” Although filming takes place predominantly in his home, Mr Etherton presents them in his suit to maintain the familiar image pupils are used to. The assemblies are shared across the Chichester Diocese and have proven immensely popular, with more than 6,000 views since last Monday’s launch. Mr Etherton said local schools working together was a theme of the Coronavirus crisis, with regular conference calls between head teachers to pool resources and share ideas. Online teaching resources have also made sure pupils’ educations are disrupted as little as possible, with many parents doubling as home teachers. Mr Etherton also paid tribute to the vast amount of work still going on behind the scenes, as schools prepare for a new financial year in a time of great uncertainty. You can find Mr Etherton’s assemblies by searching Awesome Assemblies on YouTube.