If we were to look back on this period, I think we would call it The Great Unknown. There is no certainty. 

Are schools returning to face-to-face teaching? Are we not? Are we having exams? Or mini-exams? Or teacher assessments? Or coursework? Or all of the above? 

Then let’s throw a little more confusion into the mix, and let’s start talking about catch-up, just to add a little je ne sais quoi. 

If you weren’t already feeling dizzy, a little unsettled and possibly bordering on despair, I would hazard a guess that the latest proposals about extended school days and holidays being shortened have definitely driven you in that direction. 

Coronavirus catch-up: Staging a whole circus of interventions

After what has been the most trying time in a generation of teaching, there is now the potential for any remaining physical and emotional resources that we may have left to be completely drained into extended school days and terms. 

From learning new technology in the blink of an eye, to adapting pedagogy to suit a new platform, to supporting students facing their own uncertainties as their lives are turned upside down - all while trying to provide a “broad and balanced curriculum” - teachers and all those who work in education have given their all, and more.

But we may now need to find a little extra at the bottom of the pit, because someone thinks it might be a good idea. 

I emphasise “thinks” here, because all available evidence (such as this study, and this one, and this one) suggests minimal impact for students from extending school time, repeating a year or attending summer schools, with moderate to high-cost implications. Can we really afford, financially, emotionally or otherwise, to start a whole circus of interventions, running into thousands upon thousands of hours, and goodness knows how much money, for such minimal impact? 

Bear in mind that the evidence referenced here demonstrates the average of a number of studies. So the likelihood is that some of these interventions may indeed have a negative effect on students. Can we really afford to take that chance?

Delivering a bitter blow

We would, after all, be taking chances with students who are already exhausted, uncertain and most likely very worried about their own future. After all, they see the news, too, with all its talk of lost earnings and reduced life chances. Can we take the risk of a potential further negative impact on their education, their lives? Is that really a cost we can afford to bear? 

So, at a time when we, as a profession, need clear guidance, maximum support and a little bit of hope, we are being delivered a bitter blow. The ramifications of this will be long lasting. 

However, we have the potential to limit the damage, to allow people to recuperate, to face a new year with hope and determination, ready to support our students in exactly the way we know how. 

Because we have to ask the question: are they behind? Behind what or who? Or have they made progress with their learning and might they just need to get back to normal without the extra pressure of all these proposals and catastrophising that they are being exposed to? 

I am a firm believer in using evidence to support decision-making in education. All of the evidence points towards the current rumours and uncertainty being the most unhelpful background noise.

What we need are firm plans, genuine support and a realisation that people are at the heart of our business, and people cannot run on empty. 

Louise Lewis is a research lead and deputy head of science in a Yorkshire secondary school. She tweets @MissLLewis