Commenting on school attendance statistics published by the
Department for Education today, which show the number of
secondary schools fully open has fallen from 92% to 84%, Geoff
Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and
College Leaders, said:
“We are extremely concerned to see a drop in the number of
secondary schools fully open due to Covid cases and the resulting
requirement for groups of pupils to self-isolate. This reflects
the extremely difficult circumstances in which schools are
operating amidst rising infection rates in the community.
“While there are some signs of improvement in accessing Covid
tests and obtaining timely public health advice in the event of
positive cases, we continue to receive reports from schools that
problems persist, and this is not good enough. It is increasingly
clear that schools have effectively found themselves on the
frontline of managing the public health emergency, as well as
delivering education, and the support simply has to be there.
“The pressure on school leaders and their staff is immense, and
we are concerned that it is unsustainable over the long term, and
will result in deteriorating mental health and wellbeing.
“The virus is an inescapable reality but there is much that the
government can do to relieve associated pressures. It must
reimburse schools for the costs involved in implementing safety
measures to control the virus, clarify its plans and
contingencies for next summer’s GCSEs and A-levels, suspend
performance tables for this academic year, and postpone plans to
resume Ofsted inspections in January.
“Schools need a greater sense that the government has grasped the
scale of the challenge they face and that it is backing them up.”
