Commenting on the question of the full reopening of schools, and
research published by Ofsted on remote education, Geoff Barton,
General Secretary of the Association of School and College
Leaders, said:
“Everybody is currently talking about the need to fully reopen
schools as soon as possible, but what we actually need is a
proper plan for doing so. The obvious solution is to widen
opening in a careful and phased manner, perhaps through the use
of rotas or prioritising certain year groups first of all,
checking the impact on coronavirus rates as we go, and building
gradually to full opening.
“This needs to be supported by prioritising vaccinations for
education staff, and sorting out the confusion the government has
managed to make over rapid turnaround testing so that this works
effectively as another safeguard.
“Research published by Ofsted shows that schools are working
incredibly hard to provide high-quality remote education to
children while they are at home. However, it identifies that a
key challenge is pupil engagement and motivation, which is hardly
surprising in these very difficult circumstances.
“Remote education, no matter how well it is done, is obviously
never going to be a substitute for direct face-to-face teaching,
particularly for pupils who struggle the most. So, that is why we
need not just words about fully reopening schools, but practical
actions and a timeline of how to do this in a way that is safe
and inspires the confidence of education staff and the public.
“We are very happy to work with government officials and
ministers on developing a plan, and we would like this to happen
as quickly as possible.”
