Updated government guidance on remote learning for schools has been criticised as “unrealistic” and “a distraction” by heads and teaching profession leaders.
The non-statutory guidance, published this week, sets out expectations over how schools should “deliver high-quality remote education” when in-person teaching is not possible.
Its suggestion that schools should consider “securing appropriate internet connectivity solutions where possible” has been described as a “huge demand”.
Dame Alison Peacock, chief executive of the Chartered College of Teaching, said that “expecting schools to be responsible for providing connectivity solutions is a huge demand and yet another distraction for schools”.
She added that for schools in disadvantaged areas, the resource and budget requirements “would be huge” and this is not something teachers and school leaders “should be solely expected to resolve”.
When schools should provide remote learning
In the guidance, the Department for Education maintains that remote education should only be considered as “a short-term measure” and “as a last resort” when in-person attendance is “not possible” or “contrary to government guidance”.
The DfE has said this might include scenarios in which it is not possible for schools to open safely or where opening would “contradict guidance from local or central government”.
The department adds that remote learning could also be provided for individual pupils who are - in the short-term - unable to physically attend school but can learn from home.
In these circumstances, the DfE says “pupils should have access to remote education as soon as reasonably practicable”, and that access to remote learning should be “in proportion to the length of absence and disruption to their learning”.
It adds that schools’ remote learning provision should “include opportunities for regular feedback and interaction with teachers and peers during the school day”.
But Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the DfE needed to be “realistic” about school resources.
He said that while schools want to ensure access to learning, especially in light of the disruption of the pandemic, “we need to be realistic about what is and isn’t possible in terms of providing remote learning, particularly at short notice”.
And “practical realities” of the school day could interfere with providing regular feedback and interaction to those at home.
“There is a finite limit in terms of staff availability and time,” Mr Barton added.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said remote learning during the pandemic “shone a light on the digital divide in this country”.
“We would, of course, support any aim looking to ensure that all children have the same opportunities to access online learning. However, we must understand this can only be done with substantial investment in digital infrastructure for schools,” he added.
“No child should have a poorer educational experience for want of a computer and internet connection.”
Difficult to ‘overcome barriers to digital access’
Mr Barton added that schools might find it difficult to help pupils “overcome barriers to digital access”, as these could vary on a case-by-case basis due to a local area or home situation.
“Instead of setting unrealistic expectations on remote education, the government really needs to focus on the problem at hand, which is that Covid is causing huge disruption because of very high levels of pupil and staff absence,” he said.
The updated guidance says that, “where needed”, schools should consider providing the same quantity of remote education as the core teaching that pupils receive in school. This could include “recorded or live direct teaching time”, alongside independent work.
The DfE sets out “good practice” as:
- Three hours a day (on average) across the cohort for key stage 1, with less for younger children.
- Four hours a day for key stage 2.
- Five hours a day for key stages 3 and 4.
The DfE adds that video content can be provided by external providers and does not need to be directly produced by the school.
The government says that schools could overcome barriers to digital access by distributing school-owned laptops “accompanied by a user agreement or contract, if possible”.
Schools could also consider providing printed resources, having access to systems to check whether pupils are engaging with remote work, and identifying a named senior leader to monitor the quality and delivery of remote learning.
Remote learning should also include opportunities for “regular feedback and interaction with teachers and peers” throughout the school day.
The guidance says that if pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) require remote education, teachers are “best placed to know how the pupil’s needs can be most effectively met”.
Research and analysis from Ofsted last year predicted that schools were likely to “continue to rely on remote solutions to provide coverage and mitigate against learning loss”.
A YouGov survey commissioned by Ofsted also found that three-fifths of teachers were “quite confident” that they were providing a high-quality education through their school’s remote education solution when this was needed.
Ofsted’s research found remote learning to be “imperfect but necessary” in mitigating learning loss.
Last week the DfE unveiled digital tech standards, which it said should be used “by everyone involved in the planning and use of technology within schools and colleges”, including senior leadership teams, IT staff, suppliers, technical advisers and teachers.
The published standards include targets, such as all schools should be using a “full-fibre connection for their broadband” in order to make “effective use of online learning tools”.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “It is vital that children and young people do not lose out on valuable teaching time if they are unable to attend school but are well enough to learn.
“Since the start of the pandemic, we have provided schools and local authorities more than 100,000 wi-fi routers and 1.9 million devices to help disadvantaged young people access their education online remotely.
“We are exploring how to develop the future use of technology in education and will continue to work with the sector to consider the needs of all students.”
