Commenting on the latest Department for Education school
attendance statistics, Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the
Association of School and College Leaders, said:
“The number of fully open secondary schools has fallen for the
third week in a row, reflecting the extremely difficult
circumstances in which schools are continuing to operate amidst
rising Covid infection rates.
“School leaders and their staff deserve great credit for the huge
amount of work they are putting into managing complex control
measures while delivering education for those in school as well
as those who are at home self-isolating.
“The pressure is immense and we are increasingly concerned about
the mental health and wellbeing of school leaders and their
staff.
“There is much that the government could and should do to relieve
the sources of stress that it can control.
“It is ludicrous to resume Ofsted inspections in January, as
currently planned, in light of so much disruption and these
should be suspended for this academic year.
“School performance tables have to be ruled out given that it is
impossible to compare schools fairly in these circumstances.
“And the government must reimburse schools for the cost of
implementing Covid safety measures which are putting tight
budgets under even more strain.”
