It’s estimated that around one in 20 people develop long Covid after contracting the initial virus. It is marked by a variety of symptoms, often including debilitating fatigue, problems with memory and concentration, joint pain, shortness of breath and many more.
It is incumbent on school leaders to do all they can to ensure that those teachers unlucky enough to develop a chronic condition are effectively supported when they eventually return to work.
Long Covid: What are the effects?
My own experiences, as a former member of school leadership teams, and as a teacher struggling both with chronic illness (chronic fatigue syndrome, a condition that shares many symptoms with long Covid) and with inflexible and impersonal policies and leadership teams, have left me in no doubt about what not to do for staff.
But by adhering to some simple principles and practices, schools can ensure that the vast majority of teachers afflicted by long Covid return to the classroom and enjoy long and productive careers.
Stay in touch
An email every now and again to let the teacher know that they are still valued, and that the school cares about them as a person rather than just a body to fill an empty timetable slot, will most likely be gratefully received. This contact should, of course, not be a request to carry out any outstanding work - and it should only happen if the teacher in question has given permission to be contacted.
Don’t rush
Be realistic and flexible about timescales for phased returns, closely following the advice of medical professionals, whether that be from a GP or from occupational health. Possible dates of return to full responsibilities should be seen as best-case scenarios. It will, most likely, take longer.
Stick to deadlines
Ensure that sufficient time is given for tasks to be completed. Overwhelming fatigue and brain fog, common symptoms of long Covid, will require teachers to follow pacing strategies, completing small chunks of marking or admin at a time in order to meet deadlines at their own pace.
This is difficult enough without the goalposts suddenly being moved, or being asked on Friday afternoon to have a task ready for the following Monday morning.
The BMJ recently ran a webinar on long Covid, which you can watch below:
Be flexible
One size most certainly does not fit all for those struggling to cope with long-term illness. Do they really need to be at that CPD or morning briefing? Can parental feedback be carried out via email rather than hours and hours of parents’ evenings? Can someone else carry out the duty, run the detention or lead the intervention class?
Applying policies in the same way for everybody may very well disadvantage those who most need the support.
Avoid unhelpful targets
Disciplinary procedures should always be a last resort. Keep formal meetings to the absolute minimum and avoid setting unrealistic attendance or performance targets designed to provide future ammunition for dismissal. Having the Sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of returning teachers makes a happy outcome far less likely for both parties.
Teachers are worth investing in, and ultimately it is the students who will suffer from the loss of their highly trained, highly experienced and highly effective teachers, who just needed a little more support and understanding from their employers.
Show understanding
No one aspires to develop a chronic condition. Time off is not a holiday, unwell people aren’t lazy, and teachers want to be in the classroom helping their students achieve the best possible outcomes.
Rather than greet returning teachers with suspicion or even hostility, welcome them back to your school community with open arms, and acknowledge the immense struggle they have been through to be at the front of the classroom again.
The writer is a former head of department and assistant headteacher in secondary education, who left teaching in 2019 after developing chronic fatigue syndrome, a condition that shares many symptoms with long Covid
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