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North East leaders share their views on the state of the region

The beginning of 2021 and start of the new term has been fraught with even more difficulties and challenges for our school leaders; with u-turns, lockdown, a return to remote learning and exams announcements. With the situation changing so rapidly, Schools North East reached out to school leaders to find out their views on some of the key issues they are currently facing. 

There was a huge response to the survey in just a few days, highlighting that school leaders are keen to engage and have their voices heard on these issues. The responses are from schools of all phases and across all areas of our region. 

Students

All respondents currently have schools open to some students. Reports have speculated that this lockdown has seen increased numbers of students in schools. In the North East almost 60% of school leaders reported having 30% or more of their students physically in school. When asked how this compared to the previous school closures in March two-thirds of leaders felt that a significantly higher number of pupils were now attending school. 

Looking at the types of students attending it is clear that the overwhelming majority are children of key workers, with much smaller numbers of vulnerable pupils, or those on EHCPs. While government guidance does not explicitly state receipt of FSM or levels of disadvantage as a criteria for attending, the Education Secretary has suggested that those without access to devices or internet can attend school. However, North East schools reported relatively low numbers of pupils receiving FSM attending. Since March there has been an ongoing concern that the most disadvantaged students, who need additional support, and may face barriers to learning at home will be disproportionately affected by school closures. As yet policymakers have failed to adequately address this issue. 

When asked if the definition of ‘priority students’ should change, more than 70% felt that this should happen to encourage more students to stay at home. Most school leaders felt that the current definitions are too broad and open to interpretation. They also identified that it is integral to keep numbers low in order to protect staff, as well as the students who are attending. Some also identified that school should be seen as a safe place which is available to those in need, particularly students who ‘struggle without consistency’ or are ‘unable to engage fully with home learning’. 

Many acknowledged that it is a really difficult balance to strike between providing the right support but keeping spread of infection low. One respondent highlighted that ‘I want to know our students are safe, but I also want to know they are receiving the support they need – socially, emotionally and academically. For the majority, the best place for this to happen is in school.’ This highlights that our school leaders very much want schools to be open, where it is safe to do so, but that currently, many don’t feel it is safe enough. 

Staffing

One of the key issues for schools last term were staffing levels, with many staff forced to isolate and delays to testing causing increased and unnecessary staff absence. Most school leaders reported positive levels of staff working either in school or at home this term, with less than 15% of schools with fewer than 90% of staff. 

However, an ongoing and increasing cause for concern is staff wellbeing, with more than 70% of school leaders reporting that this is worse or much worse than September. As seen previously, many leaders are concerned about the ongoing stress and workload for staff being unsustainable, especially as schools juggle delivery of both remote learning and classroom teaching. Constant changes in expectations and the lack of clear guidance from the government make it difficult to properly plan and prepare. Others also pointed to anxieties around the pandemic itself, which appears to have become more prevalent this term, possibly as a result of the newly identified variant which is more transmissible.   

Assessments

Almost 90% of school leaders supported cancellation of exams this summer, with most pointing towards the extent of lost learning this year and the inequality of experiences students have had. Based on this, exams alone are not seen as being able to provide a fair picture of student abilities. However, many school leaders were concerned about how late in the year this decision has been made, and the lack of clarity on what will replace exams. Schools North East has called for clarity on this a number of times since June. Some staff do feel however that exams provide a useful motivation for students and clear expectations. What is clear from the responses is that schools need to know urgently how they will assess students. 

There is a clear preference for use of teacher assessment in assessing students this year, either alone or in conjunction with externally moderated grades. Between these options there is a fairly even split, reflecting the difficulty of finding a solution to this issue.  We wait with bated breath for the conclusion of the Ofqual consultation on this!

Half of school leaders stated that they will be holding some form of exams or assessments this year. For most schools who are doing so, this will include mock exams and assessments to benchmark students, and provide the necessary data to allow for accurate teacher assessment. For many schools these are assessments that are already taking place to inform practice and plan learning priorities.

Remote learning

Despite promises of laptops and broadband schemes for students who need them, school leaders have identified that many students are still without adequate access to online learning. A fifth of school leaders highlighted that 30% or more of their students do not have access to devices or the internet. 

When asked what the current concerns were around delivery of remote learning, just over 40% reported issues around internet access, and just over 50% access to devices. Over 60% were concerned about staff workload in relation to remote learning.  However, parental engagement was the most common concern, identified by more than two-thirds of respondents. Equally two thirds of respondents were concerned that the digital divide will negatively impact the learning loss at their schools.

Catch-up funding

Prior to Christmas, just under 70% of schools had applied for catch-up funding, but only around 20% were now engaging with the National Tutoring Programme. Most of those that had engaged in the National Tutoring Programme have reported having to put plans on hold in response to the lockdown. 

More generally, schools are finding it difficult to adequately plan ‘catch-up’ without face-to-face teaching, as well as the lack of clarity that allows schools to plan long term. School leaders see the learning loss as a longer term issue that won’t just be a concern for this academic year. Schools are currently focussing on ensuring quality remote learning as well as student wellbeing. They are assessing where gaps have emerged and planning targeted interventions with the staff they already have. When asked whether they would continue engagement with the NTP the response was incredibly mixed, with fewer than 20% agreeing that they would. 

Coronavirus testing

A slight majority of school leaders do support mass testing taking place in schools, but opinion is still very divided with large proportions who are unsure and/ or opposed to it.

Most school leaders did recognise that this would be important in ensuring that schools can be open safely, however there are concerns about the added workload as well as the training required to carry out the testing, and it isn’t seen as a ‘silver bullet’. There were particular concerns that it would be difficult to undertake with younger children and in special schools. More than 95% of respondents felt that school staff should be more highly prioritised for a vaccine, which Schools North East called for last term

Additional costs

The extra costs associated with the pandemic, however, most schools are still not receiving government support with this. School leaders reported additional costs incurred in the current lockdown such as:

  • Cleaning staff and equipment: 91%
  • PPE: 75%
  • Other staffing costs: 59%
  • Provision of laptops/tablets: 51%
  • Other remote learning related costs: 49%
  • Adaptations to the physical environment: 46%

Almost all responses reported continuing significant negative impacts on their budget, and are concerned that they will not be reimbursed for these Covid-related costs. This is making planning difficult for many schools, as they are using up their reserves. Equally, it will have a detrimental impact on student experience, further affecting a cohort who are at risk of being left behind.  

Protecting schools as vital strategic infrastructure

The pandemic has highlighted the vital strategic role schools play not only in the education of our children, but in supporting the wider running of the country. Many of the challenges schools have had to face are not new, but perennial issues exacerbated by the exceptional circumstances created by the pandemic and school ‘closures’. It is clear that schools are vital strategic infrastructure, and must be better protected now and in the future. As such, we asked school leaders in our network what measures they would like to see put in place to protect schools. The responses highlighted the broad range of work schools do – not just providing education, supporting students with their mental health, social care, and safeguarding issues – with a number of different perspectives on how this work can be supported by policymakers. This feedback will inform our policy work going forward, so keep an eye out for more on this in the coming weeks.

As always, Schools North East is committed to representing the voice of North East schools and this feedback offers useful and important information which has been fed back to key policymakers, Ministers, and the DfE, ensuring that our staff and students do not get left behind in the response to the pandemic.

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