Headteachers have said government should be looking at long-term strategy rather than the “minutiae” of how schools are run, in response to education secretary Gavin Williamson’s suggestion that schools keep lunch bubbles to improve behaviour.
Mr Williamson told the Daily Mail that schools could keep bubbles in place this term, adding that “it brings so many benefits - not just to children but to the whole ethos of the school”, and that lunch bubbles could help support pupils’ “educational development”.
“Not all children will have that regular experience of being sat around a family dinner table. I think it’s an important part of their personal development and it supports...their educational development as well,” he said.
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But headteachers have said that the education secretary should focus on “strategic matters”, such as clarity over how GCSEs and A levels will be delivered in 2022.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “Schools and colleges are perfectly capable of deciding whether or not to keep in place approaches around lunchtimes without the help of the education secretary.
“Without wanting to sound snarky, we really do need the education secretary and other ministers to focus on strategic matters rather than the minutiae of operational decisions, which are best left to schools and colleges.
“The actions we need from the government are around the need for substantially more investment in education recovery, clarity on the shape of next summer’s exams, and making sure that we don’t have another term of disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.”
Bill Lord, a primary school headteacher, said that the advice had also been given when pupils had already returned to class.
“People will debate if family service lunches will or will not sort behaviour as argued by Gavin Williamson,” he wrote on Twitter.
“The issue is actually that he has made this suggestion through the press after some schools have already gone back to school and most have written their plans for the term.”
And Ros McMullen, founding member of Headteachers’ Roundtable, said: “Headteachers manage different school buildings and cohort sizes, and are expert at knowing how best to put their physical resources to use to maximise student safety, happiness and learning.
“Frankly rather than pontificate and deliver platitudes on matters headteachers need no advice about, the secretary of state should actually do his own job.
“There is huge frustration about the lack of planning for this academic year from government - it is beyond belief that at this time he is advising heads how to manage lunch organisation!”
