Although remote education is helping to plug the learning gap
during the COVID-19 pandemic, pupil engagement and motivation
remains a significant challenge for schools and parents,
according to a new report.
Published today, Ofsted’s in-depth study on
remote education finds that many schools are doing a good job
of mitigating children’s learning loss. But keeping pupils
motivated remains a challenge, despite schools having made
strides in their remote learning offers.
Nearly half of parents who responded to Ofsted’s survey said that
keeping their child focused on studying was a top concern, along
with motivation and having enough contact with teachers. This was
echoed by school leaders, with many working hard to increase
pupil engagement and to find better ways for pupils and teachers
to interact.
Recent government
guidance has strengthened expectations around remote
education. Today’s report explores the challenges schools,
teachers and other providers face in meeting those expectations,
and looks at the solutions they are finding to make sure children
get a good education while away from the classroom. Ofsted also
commissioned surveys of parents and teachers’ views about how
their children were faring while learning remotely.
The report also finds:
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A large proportion of schools in England feel that they are
doing well at mitigating children’s learning loss through
remote education. Three-fifths of teachers surveyed said they
were confident they were providing a high-quality remote
education when this was needed. However, schools are at
different stages of development, and there is wide
variability in the remote learning on offer.
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When developing remote education, most leaders said they
focused on making sure pupils were learning what they needed
to, rather than focusing on the technology. Several heads
said that they expected teachers – with a little adaptation
if needed – to deliver lessons as they would in person,
modelling answers, questioning pupils and giving feedback as
normal.
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Many school leaders do not see remote education as a barrier
to curriculum delivery and believe learning opportunities,
levels of pupil engagement and expectations should be the
same regardless. Several leaders were ambitious with their
curriculum, arguing that its breadth and depth should not be
compromised or narrowed for remote education.
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Parents and schools are concerned about children with special
educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and their
engagement with remote education. Nearly two thirds of
parents of a child with SEND said they had been disengaged
with remote learning, compared with almost 40 per cent of
parents of children without additional needs. While some
special schools have adapted their remote education to
support SEND pupils, such as supplying assisted reading
technology, more work needs to be done to engage children
with SEND.
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Leaders who participated in the research did not always
regard remote provision as an entirely temporary measure. The
report highlights the potential benefits of remote learning
in the long term, such as providing teaching for snow days or
extended periods of illness or absence, to minimise learning
loss.
Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman, said:
While remote education will help to mitigate the learning lost
when children are out of the classroom, it’s clear that pupils’
motivation and engagement remains an issue. This, along with
the pressure remote learning places on teachers and parents, is
proving a real barrier to children’s learning and development.
Despite the challenges, I am impressed by the flexibility and
innovation shown by teachers and leaders involved in our
research. I hope these insights will be valuable to schools
that are still developing their own remote education offer.
‘My thanks to all the teachers and school leaders across the
country whose continued efforts mean that children can still
receive a quality education, even in such difficult
circumstances.’
From today (25 January), Ofsted is resuming monitoring
inspections of schools judged to be inadequate at their previous
inspection, as well as some graded ‘requires improvement’.
Monitoring inspections look at the progress a school is making
and encourage improvement. Unlike full inspections, they do not
result in a grade. Inspections will be carried out remotely by
default, but we will continue to carry out on-site inspections
where we have immediate concerns – for example, about
safeguarding, the leadership of a school or a failure to provide
education to children.
You can read more about our monitoring inspections
online.
