Heads’ leaders have called for a widening of the “strict” criteria that allows schools to apply for more cash to support increased workforce costs as new data reveals that only around 4 per cent of schools applied to the Covid workforce fund last year.
In response to a freedom of information request, the Department for Education said that 974 schools applied to the 2020 Covid Workforce Fund that ran from 1 November to 31 December 2020
Last week, the DfE announced the 2021 Covid workforce fund for schools has been extended to the February half term, as teacher and leader absence rose by 20 per cent in just a fortnight amid the surge of Covid cases caused by the Omicron variant.
The FOI response revealed that 8 per cent of claims (72) were rejected as 67 schools did not meet the absence thresholds, while four schools withdrew as they did not meet the reserves criteria and one school missed the deadline, according to the DfE.
The DfE said that “all schools that met the conditions set out in the guidance were paid”. It added that it is intending to publish school-level data on payments in the new year.
The news that such a small proportion of schools applied and were granted extra funds to help with workforce strains last year has prompted the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) to call for the application criteria to be “broadened and simplified”, meaning more schools can benefit this year as they continue to grapple with disruptive staff absence due to the new wave of Covid infections currently sweeping across the UK.
The current criteria for accessing the workforce fund are:
Mainstream schools:
- A total teacher and leader absence rate at or above 20 per cent on a given day.
- A lower total support staff absence rate at or above 10 per cent but have been experiencing this for 15 or more consecutive school days.
Special schools and alternative provision schools:
- A total support staff absence rate (teaching assistants and other support staff) at or above 15 per cent on a given day.
- A lower total support staff absence rate at or above 10 per cent but have been experiencing this for 15 or more consecutive school days.
Julie McCulloch, director of policy at the ASCL, said that, while the union was pleased to hear that most schools applying for the 2020 workforce fund were successful, the “small fraction” of schools that applied shows “large numbers” will not benefit at a time of increased need.
“The financial pressure on schools and colleges as a direct result of Covid-19 are huge and support from the government to help them make ends meet is welcomed. In particular, some are currently facing large bills to pay for supply staff to cover for ill colleagues,” she said.
“However, the number of schools and colleges that applied last year is a small fraction of the entire schools estate, as many were ineligible due to the extremely strict criteria applied. Those same strict criteria also apply to the current iteration of the scheme, meaning that again large numbers of schools won’t be able to access it.
“The application criteria needs to be broadened and simplified to allow all schools and colleges to be able to access the support it offers.”
This week, applications opened for ex-teachers to return to the classroom next term to stem the mass absence in schools.
