Minister threatens headteacher who wanted to move to online teaching

[DecemberSun]

www.theguardian.com/education/2020/dec/12/minister-threatens-school-heads-over-pre-christmas-online-lessons?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR1w1oeCcjoUnPnz4jdlJq0CfyPlyMfnS_gNYuBp6yZo9K7zLVnycfEgmzY#Echobox=1607767566

This is undeniably shocking.

Anyone working in schools currently will not be surprised. I know one principal who was told his funding would be cut if he closed early.

Im not shocked. Union's been saying this since the start.

It seems like they are willing to provide face-to-face lessons for any child that needs them, but they’re giving others the chance to stay at home. They are not closing early, but providing options. I don’t see why this should be a problem? Why would they be stopped from doing this?

I’m in a Tier 3 area. My school has closed fully on several occasions. Currently we have 4 year groups out and amongst that year group we have multiple cases. My head contacted the dfe to ask if we could move to remote learning next week (we taught live to timetable immediately in March and have been continuing to do so since Sept when needed). Dfe said no.

And people wonder why heads haven’t been going against the DfE guidance.

Absolute disgrace.

I contacted my MP about this. My DS secondary school was all set to go online next week if you wanted remote learning and normal in class if you didn’t. A very sensible fair offer. This wasn’t allowed after threats from DfE. It is disgraceful.

Given that they made arrangements for any child to attend if they wished or needed to, what possible explanation can there be for this threat? It is appalling.

It’s because the DfE have abandoned any sort of sensible decision making and are just blaring out SCHOOLS MUST STAY OPEN AT ALL TIMES NO EXCUSES

I think they’d direct schools to stay open over Christmas if they could.

My DD is at sixth form college and they have gone online to live timetable either side of the holidays so that the kids don't take Covid to relatives nor back to college afterwards. Why are the rules different for that age?

@CKBJ

I contacted my MP about this. My DS secondary school was all set to go online next week if you wanted remote learning and normal in class if you didn’t. A very sensible fair offer. This wasn’t allowed after threats from DfE. It is disgraceful.

How would you have run it?

Do you stream from class?

@SinkGirl

Given that they made arrangements for any child to attend if they wished or needed to, what possible explanation can there be for this threat? It is appalling.

It might be due to research on dc falling behind so much even when kw etc were in. What’s needed doesn’t reach all children.

My son’s school has moved online for the final week. It’s a private school so perhaps not subject to the same ministerial meddling. Frankly I am grateful that the school is taking this action - there have been quite a lot of cases at the school and I am relieved that he will have a clear break from the classroom before Christmas.

Why are the rules different for that age?

Because it’s not about age or risk it’s about whether they’re in school. College isn’t school so the DfE don’t care. Sixth formers in a school on the other hand must be in next week at all costs.

It might be due to research on dc falling behind so much even when kw etc were in. What’s needed doesn’t reach all children.

They don’t give a shit about introducing mitigation measures into school to reduce the risk of kids, including vulnerable kids isolating. Remote learning is just fine for those millions of children who have been affected.

I have two disabled kids who need a lot of educational support so forgive me if I laugh at the idea that this government might be acting out of concern for educational attainment.

The government have put plans in place for Christmas which endanger vulnerable people and some schools are trying to mitigate this risk to their pupils, families and staff. It’s one week, and that week could have a massive impact on transmission rates if the majority stay away from school.

I suspect the government are just trying to avoid anything which gives the impression that schools aren’t safe.

@SinkGirl

I have two disabled kids who need a lot of educational support so forgive me if I laugh at the idea that this government might be acting out of concern for educational attainment.

The government have put plans in place for Christmas which endanger vulnerable people and some schools are trying to mitigate this risk to their pupils, families and staff. It’s one week, and that week could have a massive impact on transmission rates if the majority stay away from school.

I suspect the government are just trying to avoid anything which gives the impression that schools aren’t safe.

SinkGirl do you get much support or is it hard work trying to obtain it?

I do trust Whitty and think his guidance changed the course of government approach. That of harms being greater.

I think the German approach is good though - 3% CEV are exempt from in class

I think Gavin Williamson is out of his depth. Since he became Education Secretary he has not put forward any ideas about his vision of what education in this country should be moving towards. At least Michael Gove had a few ideas, bonkers though they might have been.

We’ve just been through the SEN tribunal process to get them into a specialist ASD school - took a year of intense battling, thousands spent by us, tens of thousands spent by the local authority fighting against it. If I hadn’t done that they’d be in an academy for severe learning disabilities learning very little. They stopped EHCPs being legally enforceable during COVID and I like many others found myself stuck at hike with two disabled kids 24/7 and no respite.

Everything is a battle and you wouldn’t believe quite how corrupt the system is until you’ve been through it - I’ve never seen anything like it.

You'd have though with Wales doing such a u-turn they would respect heads that choose that options across the boarder. This whole situation is a such a mess.

@MarshaBradyo my DS’s secondary school (state) has the facilities to run live lessons for all lessons (albeit PE and Performing Arts) while teaching the pupils that are in the class. Using Microsoft teams, pupils at home logon and access the class and teacher they would be having if in school. They can take part in the lesson fully, ask and answer questions, receive feedback as well as praise points or sanctions. All work is uploaded. Pupils have to “attend” tutor in the morning and if late/don’t attend sanctions apply. This is how they ran school for the current year 11s when they returned in June. Importantly, it was a choice to work online at home or in person at school. Naturally this reduced numbers in class and enabled social distancing. In September an IT survey was conducted, any pupil who didn’t have appropriate IT equipment have been loaned it.

This is exactly what has been running successfully for isolating students since September, hence why I’m so annoyed that DfE have prevented it being rolled out to any pupil.

[quote CKBJ]@MarshaBradyo my DS’s secondary school (state) has the facilities to run live lessons for all lessons (albeit PE and Performing Arts) while teaching the pupils that are in the class. Using Microsoft teams, pupils at home logon and access the class and teacher they would be having if in school. They can take part in the lesson fully, ask and answer questions, receive feedback as well as praise points or sanctions. All work is uploaded. Pupils have to “attend” tutor in the morning and if late/don’t attend sanctions apply. This is how they ran school for the current year 11s when they returned in June. Importantly, it was a choice to work online at home or in person at school. Naturally this reduced numbers in class and enabled social distancing. In September an IT survey was conducted, any pupil who didn’t have appropriate IT equipment have been loaned it.

This is exactly what has been running successfully for isolating students since September, hence why I’m so annoyed that DfE have prevented it being rolled out to any pupil.[/quote]
Thanks for this CKBJ

It sounds very good. Hats off to the teachers teaching to online and in class at same time, takes skill. We have a different set up - I think all online (although not sure as if you don’t inform school you need tech you are not informed how that part works). But I’ve been really impressed with practise days so far.

It seems that keeping (state) schools officially physically open has become almost like some weird religious obsession for the government with no regard to whether that is in students' best interests in any particular case.

It might be due to research on dc falling behind so much even when kw etc were in.

What research would that be then?