ASCL and NAHT wrote to the Secretary of State for Education this week, about the ongoing impact of Covid-related disruption.
The letter highlighted statistics earlier in March which showed that Covid-related pupil absence on 17th March was 2.5% (up from 0.7% the previous fortnight), and teacher and leader absence was 9.1% (up from 5.8%).
Attendance data from DfE released on Wednesday showed slight improvements in Covid-related absences, for staff and students, however attendance remains low. Indeed, pupil attendance in all state-funded schools was down, from 89.7% on 17th March to 88.6% on 31st March.
The unions said that schools and colleges are finding it increasingly difficult to keep their settings open, compounding the educational disruption children and young people have already suffered.
The focus on publishing ‘inaccurate and meaningless data’, the letter says, is putting unnecessary stress on school leaders and teachers, threatening to exacerbate the recruitment and retention crisis. The letter calls on the government to do more to support schools and cancel the publication of performance tables.
In November, Schools North East also wrote to the Secretary of State about the need to depressurise the education system, citing similar issues around staff and student absences. We similarly called on the government to suspend performance league tables, and review the role of Ofsted in the post-pandemic period.
Schools urgently need a period of stability so that they can focus on recovery. Schools continue to face significant operational challenges resulting from the pandemic, and are far from returning to ‘normal’. For many schools, as we head into Easter, this term has been the worst of the pandemic, with schools in constant ‘crisis management’ mode. It is crucial that DfE now recognise concerns raised by school leaders, both in the North East and the rest of the country, if it is serious about the reforms set out in the schools white paper and the SEND review.
