Commenting on the interim report from Government: School Recovery
Strategies, Year 1 findings, Kevin Courtney, Joint
General, Joint General Secretary of the National Education
Union, said:
"This interim report on the impact of COVID on schools shows
there is no room for complacency from Government. Education
recovery must be a top priority, to address the wellbeing of all
students and the needs of disadvantaged students who suffered the
most.
'In order to achieve this, the half-hearted funding and support
that schools are currently receiving is simply not good enough.
This was a problem identified long ago by the Government's own
education catch-up tsar, Sir , who resigned following the
rejection of his £15 billion recovery plan. 's substitute offer of just £50
per pupil per year made the Government's claim to be prioritising
young people ring very hollow indeed. Government needs to
own this mistake and give schools the funding they need to make a
difference.
'The report highlights the lack of support for the National
Tutoring Programme imposed on schools, when leaders would much
prefer direct funding to enable them to prioritise support in a
much more tailored way. Schools know the needs of pupils far
better than Government, and they quickly rose to the challenge
just as they have done with education recovery. By contrast
's response has been routinely
tardy and inadequate. Heads, teachers, support staff and parents
will not easily forget the painfully slow roll-out of laptops
that were so essential for disadvantaged pupils, nor the Prime
Minister's pointless battles over free school meals.
'As schools still navigate their way through the impact of COVID
it is no surprise that top priorities for 2022 include
flexibility in the curriculum and changes to assessment and
examinations. Teachers in secondary schools have
consistently called for clear, straightforward and early
information on the content to be covered in this summer's exams
in order to be able to best prepare pupils who have missed
different parts of their courses, and yet this is still not
available. Primary teachers have called for a suspension of
pointless tests including SATs, baseline assessment, phonics and
times tables checks, in order to properly focus on children's
recovery.
'The report also gives a clear message to Government that
listening to the profession is of vital importance. Failure to do
so is resulting in measures that frustrate the education recovery
that is needed for all our children and young people.
'Staff and pupil absences are listed in this report as key
challenges for both secondary and primary schools. Government
should seek to work closely with school leaders and the wider
profession to ensure mitigations are effective in ensuring that
the spread of the virus and the disruption to pupils’ education
are minimised. In particular, it should be rolling out air
filters to every school and college classroom that needs them."
ENDS
Editor's Notes
School Recovery Strategies Year 1
findings:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1045471/School_Recovery_Strategies_year_1_findings.pdf
