11 questions about the September school return guidance
11 questions about the September school return guidance
Back-to-school guidance for school reopening in September was published today, but some key questions about how schools mitigate the coronavirus risk remain
“I just want to know what we are doing, and I am at the point where as long as I get some sort of answer, I don’t really mind what that answer is.”
So said a teacher on the school gate to me this morning.
And you can understand why she felt that way: the government may be in a very difficult position on what to do with schools, but it has seemed intent on adding to the confusion, not trying to minimise it.
Prior to today’s September guidance (read all the latest on Tes news), schools have had to write and rewrite policies constantly to keep up with ever-updating guidance and changing circumstance.
They have had to hedge their bets as leaks of what might happen have appeared in the press. They have had to try and manage parent expectation as the government has seemed unwilling to recognise that getting everyone back to work might be difficult if everyone cannot go back to school at the same time.
Coronavirus: is the September guidance clear?
So, does today’s guidance see a shift whereby the DfE helps schools, not hinders them? Is it the clear message needed not just for teachers but for all involved in schools - parents, outside services, communities?
It might not be a popular view, but I do think it makes a commendable effort at clarity. You may not like the content of that clarity - primary assessment being back, for starters - but it is at least clear on what it expects…most of the time.
Reading through it, though, I have some questions that remain unanswered (and there will be plenty more as we delve deeper into how this guidance might work).
The government is expecting a huge amount of practical work to happen around hygiene. And it does not want to pay for it. So, how exactly are schools going to pay for additional cleaning, additional hygiene products, additional cleaning products and additional equipment?
It’s clear the government wants schools to get tough on attendance - but also to be wary of any child showing any kind of symptom. Now, symptoms of the coronavirus are rather similar to many other viruses that occur in the Autumn term. So, how vigorously are the government expecting schools to check the actual health status of any child who is off “with symptoms” and how does it expect schools to police the abuse of that condition on attendance?
The guidance seems to suggest that class bubbles be used in KS3 and year group bubbles in KS4 and KS5. On this I have a few questions: is that to maintain a more primary style of teaching? Are secondaries set up for that? How can it work with different systems in KS3 and KS4/5?
The guidance seems clear that almost all of the restrictions are not viable in EYFS, so why won’t the government be explicit and say that for EYFS it is pretty much business as normal? Without the explicit statement, schools will still be trying to do the impossible.
The government is advocating staggered start and finish times but that schools should do this with no impact on curriculum time. This has huge implications for the working day of a teacher and for teachers to be able to drop off their own children at school or nursery. So, how will this work with both a teacher’s personal responsibilities to family and also their obligations in terms of when and how they are expected at school?
It’s clear that external agencies, services, therapists and the like will be allowed into schools - but it is up to schools how this can be managed carefully. This will be a significant challenge, as will learning support in general: where does SEND provision fit into this guidance? They have had a go at it, but I can’t see enough clarity for schools.
The sections on transport seem to be making a lot of assumptions: is the government suggesting every child lives within walking or cycling distance of a school? Why does it seem to think that children in the same bubble may live in similar geographical areas to enable “bubble transport” or are they expecting coach companies etc to do more bespoke routes? Have they spoken to any of these bus companies?
There seems to be scope for enabling vulnerable staff to work remotely, but without extra funding (see question 1), how can schools staff classrooms if some staff can’t be in them?
There is a section suggesting the prioritisation of “essential” areas at primary - does this basically mean government would like a narrowing of the curriculum in primary to just literacy and numeracy?
The behaviour guidance appears contradictory: how can a school both take into consideration context in challenging behaviour while simultaneously using zero tolerance towards it? And if schools do exclude, how is that child transitioned into alternative provision?
The government is clear that teaching time cannot be compromised, so how will time be found for the additional cleaning, hand washing, logistical tasks that have been added to the school day?
This list is nowhere near exhaustive. As time goes on, and we have time to look at the guidance in more detail, many more questions will arise. And we would like to encourage you to let us know your questions, too.
Over the coming week, we will be publishing extensive advice on all aspects of the guidance so please do let us know if you would like us to focus on something specific.
