School leaders and CEOs of multi-academy trusts are preparing for the possibility of school closures in the new year after the government warns that a “tidal wave” of Omicron cases are expected in the coming weeks.
The plans are being drawn up to avoid a repeat of the situation in January of this year when schools were hurriedly forced to return to remote teaching and learning after just one day of in-school provision.
This work includes everything from ensuring pupils have devices required to work remotely, checking staff are confident accessing online platforms again and keeping parents aware of any potential changes in the new year.
For example, Rebecca Boomer-Clark, the chief executive of Academies Enterprise Trust (AET) - made up of 57 schools covering primary secondary and Send provision - said while there are no plans to close schools or send classes home this side of Christmas, pupils would be taking devices home as a precaution for next year.
“We’re making sure all children from Year 3 through to Year 13 are going home for the Christmas holidays with a Chromebook and MiFi dongle where needed, so that if we have to move to virtual learning, everyone is set up and ready to go,” she said.
Meanwhile, Lee Mason-Ellis, CEO of Pioneer Academy, which currently includes 12 primary, junior and infant schools, said all schools were being told to prepare for the possibility of not returning in the new year.
“Schools have been advised to plan for the reinstatement of additional measures and a potential return to remote learning in the new year, on the assumption that this may be required.”
Rowena Hackwood, CEO of Astrea Academy Trust, which has 26 schools across South Yorkshire and Cambridgeshire, also said it was putting contingency plans in place “in the event that some learning has to move online”.
“Teachers are doing everything they can to make sure that children can access a high-quality remote education if this is needed in the new year,” she added.
Parent communications and online platforms
Kulvarn Atwal, the executive headteacher of two large primary schools in the London Borough of Redbridge, also said work has been done to ensure there is clarity on pupils that needs devices in case remote teaching is required - and those that may need in-school support.
“We are looking at the data across each school for children that previously needed access to laptops as well as our previous key worker lists,” he said.
Other plans being considered include using a training day scheduled for the first day back to instead be used as time for teachers to pivot to remote teaching if necessary.
He also said that, while newsletters home to parents are making it clear the expectation is to return in January, parents may have to be “update[d] accordingly if the situation changes”.
Mark Chatley, trust leader of Coppice Primary Partnership in Kent, also said parents were being kept abreast of the situation. Although, he said he had decided against sending resources home with pupils to avoid ”cause[ing] additional anxieties for parents”.
He said work had also been done to ensure staff can still access the online platforms and tools required to work remotely.
“We have revisited our details for Google Classroom to ensure that everyone can access it should the need arise,” he said, adding: “Teachers are also aware that we may need to prepare for blended learning in January.”
Gary Green, head of virtual school at Bohunt Education Trust, added that they were confident any switch to remote teaching would run smoothly given the “expertise built up in online teaching” over the past 20 months: “We are ready to switch to home learning immediately if required, ensuring that every child has a digital device and so is able to access remote learning”.
The need for a break
Chatley, meanwhile, also said the hope was that, if any more restrictions were put in place, whether around remote teaching or in-school measures, it would be easier to implement as staff have already “had to learn and adapt to the situation last year”.
“Things like one-way systems, staggered entry and bubbles, for example, are understood by staff and can be easily returned to,” he added.
Nonetheless, he acknowledged the situation was not ideal for school staff who, after such a disrupted year, deserved the chance to switch off for a short while. “They deserve a break, especially in light of what we may be coming back to,” he said.
The concerns come amid a huge surge in Omicron cases and a call from NHS England’s medical director of primary care, Dr Nikki Kanani, urging teachers to come forward for their Covid-19 booster vaccines during the Christmas holidays.
“We are asking teachers to come forward during the school holidays to get protected before school starts again,” she said at a Downing Street press conference.
