Today (Wed 26 May), NAHT, the union which represents leaders in
the majority of schools, publishes ‘A blueprint for a stronger
and fairer system for all’ which sets out seven recommendations
for the government to include in its own, as yet unpublished,
‘recovery report’.
The report is published alongside concerns from school leaders
that the government will not fund this recovery work
sufficiently, and a warning that this risks harming the life
chances of pupils at a critical time.
NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman said: “Schools
have gone to incredible lengths in order to protect and care for
pupils in the most unimaginably challenging of times. There is no
doubt that this vital work helped to shield large numbers of
children from the worst effects of the pandemic.
“While the government has been deliberating, school staff have
already been quietly, but determinedly, getting on with the
crucial task of supporting pupils. In fact, this work never
stopped. It is essential that the recovery effort of the next few
years recognises and builds on the excellent work that has
already been done. Simplistic ‘bolt-on’ measures will not work
and should be avoided.
“The government has promised that the recovery effort will see
‘no child will be left behind’. That is the right approach. But
it is also a big promise. The only way the government keeps that
promise is by fully backing the recovery effort with ambitious
funding too.
“It is not an exaggeration to say that in today’s unsettled world
this country’s long term future depends on the young people in
school and college now. We have to give them everything we can to
help them make a better fist of it than we have. A failure to
invest in education is a failure to invest in the nation’s
future.”
NAHT’s recovery ‘blueprint’ features seven recommendations for
the government:
-
Prioritise the early years
-
Improve support for mental health and wellbeing
-
Invest in the teaching profession
-
Provide targeted academic support for pupils who need
it
-
Expand extra-curricular provision and invest in
extra-curricular providers
-
Invest in school technology
-
Remove unnecessary burdens and distractions
Mr Whiteman concluded: “The government has an opportunity to make
a real difference to the lives of young people, both in the short
and long term. But this will only come true if there is
significant new investment from the Treasury to support the good
work of schools. NAHT is being deliberately ambitious. The UK
government cannot let other countries steal a march on us with
their investment when we throw crumbs at our own version. The
question we have posed in this report is – ‘just how ambitious
are the government prepared to be?’”
