No half term ‘circuit breaker’ for schools in England
No plans for ‘circuit breaker’ this half term have been announced, despite growing speculation that half term would see a lockdown with an extended break for students to curb infection rates and devolved nations implementing similar measures.
A full lockdown, with possible extension of the half term had been widely speculated about, however no plans have been announced by the government despite action being taken elsewhere in the UK. Wales will go into a ‘fire break’ with students in year 9 and above not allowed back in school for an extra week after the half term, while schools in Northern Ireland will close for two weeks to curb the rates of infection.
Rising infection rates are causing huge issues in schools across the country, particularly in areas like the North East which are seeing higher numbers of cases than elsewhere. Attendance figures released this week suggest that last week, half of secondary schools had sent pupils home to self isolate. This reflects the situation in the North East where in a Schools North East survey earlier this week 50% of respondents had a year group or bubble isolating. Years 10 and 11 in particular were identified as being in isolation the most, tallying with reports that 15-18 year olds in city centre schools seem to be the most likely to have to isolate. This is of real concern as these students are in key exam groups and so are at increased risk of further disruption to their learning ahead of exams this year.
While almost two thirds of respondents were in favour of a ‘circuit breaker’ it was clear that it was already too late for this to be implemented for this half-term, though more than 50% were in favour of implementing this ahead of the Christmas break.
Despite the disruption from isolating bubbles, attendance has remained high with 84% of schools reporting over 90% attendance and no school falling below 80%.
Staffing levels are slightly more fragmented – while over 84% of respondents had 90% of staff in school, some schools had less than 70%. Waiting for test results still appears to be the foremost reason for staff absences, however many respondents identified that mental health and wellbeing is a serious issue, with staff struggling to cope and at risk of burnout.
More than 40% of respondents also highlighted the increased costs of staffing, from cover or supplying extra admin support.
Our survey also highlighted this extra financial strain on schools, with the large majority of schools experiencing increased costs around PPE and cleaning, as well as staffing.
It is undeniable that this half-term is a much needed break for staff. Before you finish for your break please help us understand the situation in your school by filling in our survey on attendance and extra expenditure due to Covid-19.
We hope all of our staff have a well earned break over the half term holiday and we will continue to monitor the situation and lobby government on the issues most important to you.