A group of academics are urging the government to revise its “incoherent” school reopening advice and ensure “unrealistic educational demands” do not take priority over public health when pupils return in September.

Whole year-group educational “bubbles” should be abandoned and a “recovery curriculum” introduced, as part of a series of “practical alternatives” to the government’s reopening plans, according to a group who have called themselves the Emergency Advisory Group for Learning and Education (EAGLE).

The group was formed in May after four education specialists were asked to advise the Independent Sage group of scientists on safety in schools during the pandemic.

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The founding members are Professor Helen Gunter, from the University of Manchester; Pam Jarvis, from Leeds Trinity University; Professor Liz Todd, from Newcastle University; and Terry Wrigley, from Manchester Metropolitan University.

It has since expanded to 20 members, including a mixture of academic researchers, teachers, headteachers and local government officers, to form EAGLE.

In a report Schools in England: A safe return in September?, the group outline “a route towards a better education system and a better society” - including a range of measures to replace or supplement current Department for Education guidance.

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The group claims that the existing DfE advice is “incoherent”, and especially problematic for secondary schools.

“The Department of Education’s key document of 2 July contains very strong warnings from Public Health England followed by pragmatic guidelines on how to organise schools with full-time attendance of all students,” the report states. 

“Many schools will find it impossible to follow the organisational guidance without breaching the health warnings.”

It adds that “a narrow emphasis on ‘catching up’ is likely to be counterproductive”, and encourages schools to focus instead on a “recovery curriculum”.

The group also argue that whole-year bubbles in secondary schools are a “dangerous proposal”, and should be replaced by “new forms of curriculum organisation” in a “combination of on-site and distance learning”.

Following consultations with researchers, teachers, heads and local authorities, the report sets out a series of suggestions for how secondary schools, in particular, could be made safe.

These are:

• Divide year group bubbles into two or three parts.
• Limit pupils passing through narrow corridors by timetabling subjects in half-day sessions rather than 40 or 60 minutes.
• Run home-based distance learning for some half-days each week. Those students needing additional learning support, including many with SEND or students who have been unable to study at home, could be provided with tutorials or small group learning support at school during these half-days.
• Introduce a longer lunch break to allow those living nearby to eat at home.
• Replicate the current “carousel arrangement” used for some key stage 3 subjects. This, they say, has certain educational advantages and would make schools safer by reducing movement.
• Avoid redistributing classes into ability sets for different subjects. Where this cannot be avoided, these subjects should be taught in blocks on particular half -ays.
• Use half-day blocks in conjunction with distance learning to allow KS4 and KS5 students to study the normal range of GCSE and A-level subjects.

The group also outline 11 “key proposals and principles” for the government to consider going forward. 

These are:

• Although different human needs have to be balanced, public health cannot be sacrificed to unrealistic educational demands.
• Rapid improvement is needed in communicating medical information to local authorities and school governors, in order to facilitate sound decision making.
• While infection levels remain serious, arrange for smaller classes in primary schools; and new forms of curriculum organisation in secondary schools in a combination of on-site and distance learning.
• Recognise young people’s experiences during recent months, and adopt a sensitive approach to re-engaging them, rather than threatening parents with fines.
• Support parents and teachers in monitoring and caring for students’ mental wellbeing, providing specialist support where needed.
• Schools should prioritise children’s wellbeing, thinking in terms of a “recovery curriculum”. Young people should be re-engaged by a curriculum which is not only broad and challenging, but which engages their interests and concerns and develops independence and initiative.
• Improve the quality of distance learning resources, and ensure that all disadvantaged students have access to computers and the internet.
• Increase the funding of tutorial support for students who have encountered greater barriers to learning, and route this through schools.
• Reduce the pressures of public examinations and primary school tests, including reduced content for GCSEs, greater use of coursework and portfolios, and cancelling universal testing in primary schools for the coming year.
• Provide a supportive environment for teachers and other staff, by increasing trust, cooperation and professional development, whilst removing sources of threat such as inspections, which could serve as a distraction from students’ needs.
• Encourage stronger links between schools and communities, particularly in more disadvantaged areas.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson said: “I know these past three months have been some of the most challenging that schools have faced. What they have achieved to make sure that young people are kept safe and can continue to learn during this period is remarkable, and I am incredibly grateful for that.

“Nothing can replace being in the classroom, so ever since schools, colleges and nurseries closed to most children, we have been working hard to ensure they can reopen as soon as possible.

“We have already seen more than 1.5 million children and young people return, but we must make sure all pupils can go back to school in September, giving them the opportunity to thrive and fulfil their potential.

“I want to reassure parents and families that we are doing everything we can to make sure schools, nurseries, colleges and other providers are as safe as possible for children and staff, and will continue to work closely with the country’s best scientific and medical experts to ensure that is the case.”