A HEADTEACHER has shed light on running a school within a warzone.

Barrovian David Cole, principal of the British International School Ukraine, says that the children within his school community in Kyiv are ‘handling it brilliantly’ despite most of them having a family member or friend serving within the armed forces.

Air raid warnings have become an expected part of life for students. In May the school had around 10 of them.

“You just brace yourself for it, but you can’t dwell on it,” said Mr Cole. “You have to be conscience of it, but you can’t let it dominate your life.

“The children are so resilient. If there is an air raid – at first it was a novelty – now it’s routine.

“They go downstairs, they go to the shelter, they go to their assigned places, they open their laptops and just get on.”

Learning is as important as it has ever been, with some pupils preparing to sit their exams.

Mr Cole said it has been the commitment of the school community that ‘learning and teaching will continue’, calling it ‘part of the resistance’.

Whilst questions have been raised about the long-term effects of war on the mental health of the children, it is hoped that school provides a taste of ‘normality’.

Mr Cole said: “It gives them that sense of normality - you’re coming to school, you do your lessons, you meet your friends, and the same for the staff.”

The head praised his ‘brilliant team’ of staff who have kept the school going during Russia’s invasion on Ukraine.

“Everybody plays their role and everybody goes above and beyond,” said Mr Cole. “It’s certainly not down to me, it’s down to the team here.

“They try everything they can to make sure the learning continues. They’ve sacrificed a whole lot emotionally and certainly financially to remain here.”

Mr Cole, who has been working at the school since August 2017, thought he had already seen it all during his career when accepting the position. However, he was yet to experience teaching through a global pandemic and a war.

When the war began, Mr Cole used experience from the Covid-19 pandemic to minimise disruption to learning.

He said: “We used our Covid experience and within two days we got our virtual school up and running.

“At one point we had students and staff on six continents.

“It was a challenge at one point but where there’s a will there’s a way. We’ve got to make it work.”

The avid Barrow AFC fan says that from the Ukrainians he has learnt ‘dignity, resilience and bravery’.

He said: “A massive thank you from our local staff to the people of the UK for all the support that they have been giving. It has made a difference.

“Whether it’s military aid from the Government or humanitarian aid from ordinary people, it’s massively appreciated.”