FOR the Rafferty family life over the past year has been “very turbulent”, requiring an incredible amount of juggling to fit in home schooling and home working.

Dad Tony and mum Sandra both work for the NHS in Aberdeen and 17-year-old Hollie is now in sixth year at Cults Academy studying advanced Higher drama, advanced Higher French, Higher food technology, Higher business and Grade 8 singing.

During the lockdowns all three have been working at home, each needing their own space and laptop or computer.

“We are lucky we have room and good Wifi but it has been very turbulent and requires a lot of planning because if Sandra, who works in mental health, needs to ‘see’ patients we have to make sure she has total privacy,” said Tony.

“You have to plan everything as you go along and if I get sprung a meeting we have to make a timetable again. It’s not been easy and there have been times when Hollie has been very anxious and the slightest thing could upset her.”

While communication with teachers has been good and Hollie has kept up with her work, she has struggled to form a study routine and has also had to cope with her main subject of drama being taught online in isolation from others.

She is now able to go into school for four hours a week for drama but her parents have to drop her off and pick her up again as the classes are being held at Aberdeen Grammar School and she is not allowed to use public transport to get across the city.

“She also has to do lateral flow tests twice a week and is finding out exactly how horrible they are,”

said Tony.

Perhaps the worst part of the pandemic for Hollie is being unable to see her friends regularly and socialise normally.

“She is not one that would break the rules so not seeing her friends has been really difficult for her,” said Tony.

“Like any young person she doesn’t want to just go and see someone outside for five minutes but wants to be able to socialise properly and be free and open. She has absolutely found that part difficult, as we all do.”

Along with other school pupils in Scotland, Hollie will return to school after the Easter holidays. They were “invited” to return this week and next for two hours each time but Tony said neither Hollie nor her friends wanted to go.

“They don’t see any point as they are just going in to be told what they have learned already from the SQA website and a bit of PE, even though they are in sixth year and don’t do PE,” he said. “She wants to go back properly as she thinks two hours just messes up her study routine.”

The good news, however, is that Hollie’s hard work has paid off and she has been accepted to study drama at three universities, including Queen Margaret, the one she most wanted.

As a result of the pandemic she was not able to attend any open days but instead was interviewed in video calls.

She will not take up her place immediately as she is planning to take a gap year in the hope that university life will be back to normal by the autumn of 2022.

“She got word she had been accepted by Queen Margaret last Saturday and since then her whole mood has completely changed,” said Tony. “It’s great news after a difficult year.”