Agenda item

Councillor David Mellen, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Schools and Communications, Nick Lee, Director for Education and John Dexter, Education Services spoke to the Committee about the re-opening of schools following their closure to the majority of pupils in March, and the impact of that closure.  They highlighted the following information:

a)  Many children were away from school for six months and during that time many did not have the appropriate space, technology or environment at home to facilitate learning.  There will have been learning loss but the scale of this isn’t yet known.

b)  Some children will have also been without outdoor space for a period of time which limited their ability to play and exercise.

c)  Some children will have had regular contact with their school while they have been unable to attend in person but this has not been consistent and it is known that some pupils had no contact with their school. 

d)  Many children will have been pleased to return to school with the benefits of normality, structure and socialisation, but for children who were already anxious about attending school the six month gap may have made this worse.  It is important to recognise the need for balance between education and wellbeing.

e)  In anticipation of school closures, children known to social care were risk-assessed to identify vulnerable individuals and their needs. 

f)  The Council has a good relationship with, and understanding of the schools which form part of the Nottingham Schools Trust but the Council has been reliant on the willingness of other schools to engage with the Council during this time.  In order to support this the Council established a network of link officers attached to each school to facilitate communication, information sharing and the management of practical issues such as provision for pupils entitled to free school meals.  This arrangement has been well-received by Ofsted and the Department for Education and will be continued in order to manage the issues than are likely to remain for the foreseeable future.  Schools have also fed back that this work has been valuable.

g)  The Council has supported the early years sector to open as many private settings as possible because the early years offer is vital to the City’s ambitions for its children.

h)  The summer programme recognised the need to have opportunities for the huge numbers of children who had not been in school since March.  There was a particular focus on Year 6 pupils who would be transitioning to secondary school and a range of activities took place outside over four sites.  Activities reflected issues raised by the Educational Psychology survey and work to address these issues continues into the autumn term.  It is hoped that all schools will engage with this because there are some concerns about the potential for behavioural issues and it will be crucial to have a graduated response to intervention through the Routes to Inclusion scheme rather than a move towards exclusions. 

Lisa Desouza, Senior Educational Psychologist, gave a presentation about a survey carried out by the Educational Psychology Service to seek the views of children and young people in the Covid-19 pandemic in order to understand their views and experiences, and inform current and future provision of services.  She highlighted the following information:

i)  Many children were happy at home citing reasons such as being with their family and less pressures but a significant proportion were unhappy/ upset at being at home missing the calmness and safety of school and missing social contact with friends and teachers.

j)  While many children were initially happy at home, over time some of those children became lonely and missed their friends and teachers.  Some children also said they were concerned about missing school work and being anxious about having to catch up when they returned to school.

k)  Some children were anxious about the return to school and for some this may result in school avoidance and require extra intervention.  Children need reassurance that they have experienced a gap in learning and that is ok to be nervous but that they will cope, in order to give a sense of control over the situation.

l)  The survey identified that the following issues would be important in supporting the transition back to school: provision of clear information; getting back to a routine; realistic expectations about a return to learning; starting by reviewing old learning to build confidence; and having opportunities to play and be with friends.

m)  Issues raised in the survey responses demonstrate the links between attainment and wellbeing and the need for an initial ‘recovery curriculum’ that promotes structure, routine, calmness and a connectness to others and a love of learning rather than prioritising catching up on missed work.

n)  The learning for policy makers is that all children’s experiences will be different, and schools and the local authority need to be flexible; it is important to consider the wellbeing of teachers as this will impact on students; a ‘recovery curriculum’ for schools should prioritise safety, a sense of control, connectness, calm and a sense of hope of what can be achieved together.

o)  There are Mental Health Support Teams supporting schools and the Department for Education has a Wellbeing in Education Programme to support schools with training on emotional wellbeing.  There are also a range of other online resources available to support schools in addressing mental health issues amongst pupils.

During the subsequent discussion the following points were raised:

p)  Given the loss of learning, it will be challenging for pupils in years 6, 11 and 13 to engage with, and do their best in assessments over the forthcoming year.  Secondary schools did open to the then year 10 and 12 pupils in July so they have had more time in school than other year groups but this is a concern.  Some councillors suggested that it would be appropriate for assessments to be delayed or be based on teacher-assessment.  It has already been decided nationally than there will be changes to assessments in some subjects e.g. poetry will not be assessed in English assessments and Ofqual is carrying out a consultation on the approach to assessments but there has been no national decision taken yet on how the 2021 assessment process will be managed.  It is understood the Chief Executives of Academy Trusts, alongside other local authorities are putting pressure on the Department for Education in relation to this.

q)  While some colleges and universities may be willing to offer pupils a place at lower grades than usual given the circumstances, if they have experienced learning loss then they may struggle when they get there and this could actually have a negative impact.  Universities and colleges may need to adapt their courses to reflect this position. 

r)  While the position in relation to assessments remains unclear, for now it is important to encourage schools to have a settled programme and encourage good attendance to minimise any further learning loss.

s)  Schools have to submit returns to the Department for Education on attendance and the local authority has access to this information.  The most recent data shows approximately 83% attendance at secondary schools, 87% attendance at primary schools and 70/80% attendance at special schools. This mirrors the national picture.  Attendance rates were slightly higher previously and this reflects that schools are now being affected by closures as a result of Covid-19 cases.  So far 12 schools have been affected by Covid-19, but attendance will also be affected by usual seasonal illness.

t)  ‘Safer Street’ projects have been piloted in some schools and it would be good to roll it out across the City but it needs to work alongside schools in relation to their entry and exit points.  The evidence is that it will be popular but there are logistical difficulties related to Covid-19 issues.  If there are specific issues with road safety relating to a particular school they can be picked up by the local authority link officer for that school.

u)  All schools have been open throughout the coronavirus pandemic and there has been a lot of learning with regards operational issues and lots of good practice has been developed.  The Council’s Health and Safety Officer has supported schools with interpreting Government guidance and this has received good feedback from schools.  The Director for Education stated that he was confident that the local authority was putting support in place to support application of safe practice by schools. 

v)  An important issue is to improve communications with parents and particularly those communities for whom English is not a first language so that they fully understand all the necessary information.

w)  There are no plans from Government for provision of food vouchers for pupils entitled to free school meals during October half term.  Issues around free school meals have regularly been raised in the Service’s meetings with the Department for Education throughout the pandemic.  The Council’s catering system does have ways of distributing food and vouchers through schools for schools who buy this service but it would be at an additional cost.  There has been a lot of activity locally to mobilise food for people in need during the lockdown period and to support the summer programme and the groups that co-ordinated that may be able to look at provision during October half term.

Resolved to:

1)  recommend that the Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Schools and Communications write to the relevant Minister regarding the risks of holiday hunger during October half term for pupils entitled to free school meals; and

2)  recommend that the Director for Education contact local co-ordinators of food sharing groups regarding risks of holiday hunger, particularly amongst pupils entitled to free school meals, during October half term and how this could be addressed locally.