Here’s what, if you haven’t read the full report, you
probably don’t yet know: some children have been more exposed to domestic
violence, there has been a rise in self-harm and some children have become more
involved in crime. But those are just some of the most concerning, negative
outcomes of the pandemic for some young people.
Here’s what else you might not know, according to Ofsted:
the vast majority of children have settled back into school, are being taught a
broad curriculum and leaders and teachers are doing an excellent job of
adapting necessarily with positive results.
But that sort of stuff does not a headline make, does it?
Wellbeing
When it comes to wellbeing of pupils, the report is clear:
‘leaders said that their pupils were generally happy to be back, and had
settled in well.’
The report also records that ‘leaders in most schools
continued to report that pupils were happy to be back. Pupils were described as
confident, resilient, calm and eager to learn. There was a general sense that
they appreciate school and each other more. Many leaders noticed that behaviour
has generally improved… Many emphasised that fewer pupils were needing
additional support than had been anticipated.’
Imagine the headlines we could have had: Pupils return to school with confidence and
resilience! Children eager to learn as they get back to school! Students defy
expectations in calm return to education!
In addition, Ofsted identify that schools are going above
and beyond in their response to ensure that pupils are happy and able to deal
with the changes the pandemic has brought: ‘Many schools of all types reported
a greater focus than usual on their personal, social and health education
(PSHE) curriculum to develop aspects such as resilience and independence and to
reinforce or improve learning behaviours, but also to address pupils’
anxieties. Some schools were also strengthening their PE provision to support
pupils’ physical and mental well-being.’
And it’s not only children who have got back to school and
got on with doing a great job, it’s the staff too, according to the report: ‘Leaders
said that their staff have generally adapted well to various changes, and are
working hard to make these work. They attributed this to frequent and effective
communication with staff as well as to a stronger sense of team spirit that has
emerged over the last few months.’
Further potential headlines for your delectation: School staff working hard to adapt to
changes! Strong sense of team spirit seen in schools!
And perhaps being at home hasn’t been such a bad thing for
children anyway; perhaps it isn’t just the fact that they are finally back at
school which has made for such positive changes: ‘Many leaders spoke positively
about pupils with SEND returning to school. In a couple of schools, leaders
noted that additional time spent at home had been positive for pupils with
SEND, who had returned with confidence.’
Attendance
One of the fears of school leaders in the summer was most
certainly around what attendance would look like come September. Fears have
been allayed, according to Ofsted’s report: ‘Around three quarters of the
schools visited reported having attendance that was similar to, or higher than,
this time last year… where attendance had improved, leaders often attributed this
to the work that they had done to build families’ trust during the first
national lockdown, and their continued efforts to inform and reassure parents
about the arrangements they had made to keep pupils safe in school.’
More headlines: Home-school
relationships improve: attendance rises! 2020 Attendance higher than ever!
And Ofsted even acknowledge just how thoughtful and flexible
school leaders are being in their commitment to children: ‘Leaders described
how they were working closely with parents and offering flexible arrangements
if these were needed to help pupils to return as soon as possible.’
Curriculum and Remote Learning
Much was said during lockdown regarding ‘gaps’ that would
appear in learning. I’m sure many school leaders considered whether or not to
slim down their curriculum, providing what might amount to an insubstantial
education which did not develop the whole child.
However, what Ofsted have seen is that leaders are ambitious
to return their schools to their usual full curriculum as soon as possible,
that most of the secondary schools were teaching all their usual subjects and
that many of the primary schools they visited were teaching all subjects.
Another favourite subject of lockdown discussion and thought
was remote learning. Public figures weighed in with their ideas, as did
parents, teachers and students. Would schools be able to truly provide remote
education to a suitable standard?
Well, Ofsted have found that ‘almost all schools were either
providing remote learning to pupils who were self-isolating or said that they
were ready to do so if needed’ and that most schools ‘were monitoring pupils’
access to the work provided or attendance at the remote lesson.’
They also report that leaders are responding well to their
findings, particularly that ‘during the first national lockdown, pupils reacted
very positively when there was live contact from teachers, so want to build on
that when needed.’
And again, leaders are adapting well to the new
circumstances, thinking outside of the box and ensuring that staff wellbeing is
a priority: ‘Leaders in a few schools explained how they were trying to
mitigate the additional demands on staff of providing remote learning, for
example through the help of teaching assistants, or having staff who took a
particular role in leading or modelling remote education.’
A further possible headline: Schools found to be providing full curriculum and good remote learning!
CPD
Remember how teachers were all lazy during lockdown and
should have been back at work? Well, turns out, they were actually working
really hard (surprise, surprise), not only providing aforementioned remote
learning but also taking the opportunity to sharpen their skills en masse: ‘staff
in many schools seized the opportunity for training and development during the
months when most pupils were not physically in school.’
Now that certainly won’t make the headlines: Teachers work hard despite perception of
journalists!
Learning ‘Loss’
And finally to the big one: have children fallen behind? Are
their gaps in their learning? Academically, has Covid-19 set children behind
where they should be?
Well, much is said in the report regarding this, however a
key takeaway should certainly be the following:
‘In the mainstream schools visited, there was no real
consensus about the extent of pupils’ learning loss as a result of the
disruption to their education.’
Correct headline: No
consensus on Covid learning loss!
This is where the main criticism of the report might come:
it is written in such a way that the negative is the focus.
For example, the report makes it clear that ‘some leaders commented that writing was also an issue for some pupils, including writing at length, spelling, grammar,
presentation, punctuation and handwriting.’ And it is this that then hits the
headlines, with the ‘some’ removed, of course. Such a statement becomes
‘Children forget how to write during lockdown’ when it is headlinified.
Indeed, the inverse statement surely is equally as true: ‘Most leaders commented that writing wasn’t an issue for most pupils, including
writing at length, spelling, grammar, presentation, punctuation and
handwriting’ or even ‘Most leaders
didn’t comment on writing being an issue for most children.’
Yes, it is right for schools to identify the negative impact
of the pandemic so as to make progress with children who have been affected,
but at the same time the positive impacts and the huge amount of work that has
already been done in this vein should surely be celebrated more widely.
Not just for the benefit of hardworking school staff either – as a parent I want to be reassured by both Ofsted and the media that schools are doing a great job with my children. Thankfully, I don’t have to rely on them to form my opinion: I know for certain my children’s school is doing a fantastic job, and I know the school I work in is too.
