Education Select Committee Questions Union Leaders
Union leaders were grilled by the Education Select Committee on Wednesday.
Representatives from NASUWT, ASCL, UNISON, and NEU were questioned about the role they had played during the wider opening of schools. Former teacher, Jonathan Gullis accused the NEU in particular of running a political campaign to stop schools from re-opening before the summer, by discouraging union members from engaging in re-opening plans and suggesting teachers not provide full timetables.
Patrick Roach of NASUWT and Mary Bousted of the NEU denied that any such campaign had taken place, but rather were concerned about the lack of clear guidance from the Department for Education on how to open safely, with fears that the constant speculation from the government was creating confusion and anxiety among teachers.
Gateshead MP Ian Mearns supported this sentiment, noting that the anxiety teachers had about returning to schools came from the context of the coronavirus pandemic that had led to over 40,000 deaths and widespread disruption. He went on to ask the witnesses about the quality of guidance that had been delivered by DfE. Julie McCulloch from ASCL said that it had been an enormous challenge to keep up with the guidance, which had been delivered in piecemeal fashion and without a coherent strategy from lockdown to reopening.
Select Committee Chair Robert Halfon however questioned if decisions by schools had not been made more difficult as a result of tests and conditions for reopening that several of the Unions had set without clear medical advice for doing so. On the conditions and tests, Robert Halfon asked if those schools that were opening further than Unions were suggesting were wrong to do so. He went on to ask Unions to quantify when the risk of learning loss and the increased risk many vulnerable children are facing as a result of not being in school settings would balance out those considerations of public health.
Julie McCulloch argued that these risks were not oppositional ones, and that as all schools opened more widely they were balancing the national guidance with individual risk assessments. Jon Richards from UNISON reiterated this, noting that some areas where the R-rate was higher would have to open more slowly. All said that they wanted schools to open as quickly as possible, but that this must be done safely and that schools needed clear guidance on this, keeping in mind the need to also plan for September with a clear education recovery plan from the government.
Following on from this session, Leora Cruddas from the Confederation of Schools Trusts, Unity Howard at the New Schools Network, and Judith Blake from the Local Government Association gave evidence. Leora Cruddas and Unity Howard concurred with the sentiment expressed in the previous session, opposing the additional tests and conditions that some Unions had been setting.
The Committee then moved on to questions around catch-up. All witnesses agreed that this was going to be a long-term challenge and would likely take all of the next academic year. Along with this, they expressed scepticism about the usefulness of summer openings. Judith Blake added that the mental health and wellbeing issues that will emerge will be as important as academic ones, and that in developing a recovery plan we will need to incorporate children’s views on this. This is something we are keen to support at Schools North East, and we are looking at how best we can adapt the Voice of the Pupil project undertaken by our Healthy MindED Commission to the current situation.
Following this, they discussed vulnerable children. Leora Cruddas said there were three groups of concern: those previously known to be vulnerable, those that were likely to have become vulnerable as a result of the lockdown, and then a third invisible group which have yet to be identified. Unity Howard discussed the Alternative Provision schools in her network, as those pupils that would attend AP next year were not currently being identified, which also creates an additional financial uncertainty for September for those schools.
On Free Schools, Jonathan Gullis MP asked if there was an opportunity for a revolution in Free Schools, which Unity Howard argued that there was, hoping to see more new schools being established in areas of disadvantage.
Finally, the Committee again asked about the quality of government guidance. The witnesses agreed with those in the previous session. Judith Baker argued that announcements had usually followed rumours and speculation, and detail followed after this, when really the detail should have been established before announcements were made. Leora Cruddas said that government decisions were needed urgently, at the end of this month by the latest, to ensure schools can plan for September. While Unity Howard again said that the Unions had undermined wider opening of schools, it was now the responsibility of the government to engage in a national campaign to reassure both school staff and families that it is safe to return.