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Author: Sally Weale

Unions tell staff ‘not to engage’ with plan for 1 June school openings

Sally Weale

By: Sally Weale.

Government plans to reopen schools in England face a mounting backlash from education unions, who say the proposals are not feasible and have advised teachers and support staff not to “engage with” preparations for a 1 June return.

The Department for Education (DfE) wants children back in primary schools in a phased reopening starting next month, with class sizes limited to 15 and a staggered timetable to limit the number of pupils and risk of transmission.

The education secretary, Gavin Williamson, has held regular meetings with sector leaders to try to keep teachers onboard, but relations appeared to be fraying on Tuesday with unions complaining they were not consulted on the 1 June return date or the year groups chosen to return first.

The National Education Union (NEU), which represents 450,000 teachers and other school staff, and the public service union Unison, representing school support staff, told members not to engage with planning for reopening on 1 June.

The shadow chancellor, Anneliese Dodds, meanwhile raised concerns about the potential safety risks. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, she said: “I would be more than happy to send my own child to school if I knew that by doing so I would not be potentially harming others. That’s the critical issue for me. And we don’t have that evidence, I feel, currently.”

The government has said it wants children in reception, year 1 and year 6 to be back in school first, with other primary years joining later, but headteachers have raised concerns about problems with physical distancing for younger children and health risks for pupils and staff.

Kevin Courtney, NEU joint general secretary, tweeted to members: “Education unions intend to work together. Don’t engage with planning a June 1 return to wider opening – await further union advice.” Schools are currently closed to all pupils other than children of key workers and vulnerable pupils.

The NEU says that, under health and safety legislation, any employees – including teachers – are protected if they believe they will be exposed to a serious and imminent danger should they attend their place of work.

“If such a situation does arise in a school or college, our members will continue working from home as they have been over the last six weeks,” the union said.

Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, agreed there could be no compromise on health and safety.

“If this means that schools are unable to open safely before September because they are unable to make arrangements to safeguard their staff and pupils, then that position must be accepted.”

Geoff Barton, meanwhile, who is general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, described government ambitions for school reopening as “frankly unfathomable”.

The government also appears to have some way to go to persuade families it will be safe to allow more pupils after an NEU poll of 1,000 parents found that fewer than half (49%) would be prepared to send their children back as soon as schools reopened and a third (33%) would delay their child’s return.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, told MPs on the education select committee on Tuesday that primary schools would struggle to accommodate classes of 15 with physical distancing requirements.

“Our members are telling us that their building sizes on average would only accommodate classes of 10 to 12, rather than 15,” he said.

“So straight away we’re getting into some real practical difficulties about whether the government’s ambition can be practically accommodated. Let alone all the fears that parents have about bringing their children back into school, and the fears of the workforce too.”

Williamson said: “The latest scientific advice indicates it will be safe for more children to return to school from 1 June, but we will continue to limit the overall numbers in school and introduce protective measures to prevent transmission.

“This marks the first step towards having all young people back where they belong – in nurseries, schools and colleges – but we will continue to be led by the scientific evidence and will only take further steps when the time is right.”

Source of the article: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/may/12/plans-to-reopen-schools-on-1-june-in-jeopardy-as-education-unions-tell-staff-not-to-engage-with-prepartions-1
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Coronavirus: education officials to discuss possible school closures in England

Sally Weale

By: Sally Weale.

Teaching unions and school leaders are to hold talks with the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, on Monday to discuss plans for schools and colleges in England as they start to negotiate the impact of the growing coronavirus emergency.

The government has until now resisted pressure to close schools as other countries have done, but there is mounting concern in the sector about how schools will continue to function with growing numbers of staff required to self-isolate.

The education secretary is also expected to address concerns about potential disruption to GCSEs and A-levels this summer, amid calls from some to delay examinations until September or even postpone until 2021, which could result in pupils having to repeat the current year.

School leaders are also expected to raise concerns about the impact of any potential closures on children in poverty and those who are vulnerable and depend on school for food and security. They will also call for all inspections by Ofsted to be cancelled to allow headteachers to focus on the current emergency.

Before the meeting with teachers’ leaders, the government issued updated guidance to schools reiterating its recommendation that they should remain open. The guidance acknowledged, however, that some could be forced to close if too many staff had to self-isolate, causing “operational issues”.

The guidance, published by the Department for Education and Public Health England, advises that pupils and staff who develop a continuous cough or fever at school should be sent home. Children who become unwell at school should be isolated while they wait to be collected, ideally in a room behind a closed door with an open window and separate bathroom where possible.

Staff dealing with suspected cases of Covid-19 do not need to go home unless they develop symptoms themselves. In most cases, closure would not be needed, the guidance says. “If there is an urgent public health action to take, the educational setting will be contacted by the local Public Health England protection team who will undertake a risk assessment and advise on any actions or precautions that should be taken.

“PHE will rarely advise a school to close but this may be necessary if there are so many staff being isolated that the school has operational issues.”

Among those due to attend the meeting is Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers. Speaking before the talks, he said: “School leaders are obviously concerned about the impact on exams and assessments but right now their main priority is keeping children safe.

“It’s important that we all work together to do the maximum we can. We will be working jointly with the secretary of state to establish a credible plan for schools and colleges in the coming weeks.

“We will use the meeting to bring some clarity and direction. Vulnerable children and families are uppermost in our minds. For some children a day at school is a place of sanctuary and nourishment as well as a place of education.”

Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, who is also due to attend the meeting, added: “The concerns we will be raising with him are the challenges of keeping open schools and colleges when a growing number of staff are away from work because they are self-isolating; the potential for disruption to GCSE and A-levels and what contingencies will be put in place; and how we ensure children in poverty do not go hungry and that vulnerable young people are safeguarded if schools are closed.

“We aim to work through these issues in order to arrive at constructive solutions about the way ahead. School and college leaders are showing calm and assured leadership in these difficult times and we can reassure the public that everything that can be done to support young people will be done.

On Sunday, Hamid Patel, the chief executive of Star Academies, which runs a string of outstanding state schools in London, Birmingham, Manchester and other cities, called on the government to “do the unthinkable” and postpone this summer’s exams immediately, along with Sats tests to be taken by England’s primary school pupils, to save lives during the peak infection period of May to June.

“Cancellation is the only sensible and humane option. It will go a long way to ensure the success of the ‘delay’ phase of the government’s strategy. It could save tens of thousands of lives because it will ensure good decision-making, and good decision-making by individuals is central to how we manage this crisis,” Patel said in a comment piece published by the Guardian.

The Department for Education confirmed the meeting was taking place, but made no further comment.

Source of the article: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/mar/16/coronavirus-education-officials-to-discuss-possible-school-closures-in-england

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UK universities issue health warnings over travel to China

Sally Weale

By: Sally Weale.

 

UK universities with links to China have issued warnings to staff and students travelling to and from areas affected by the coronavirus, urging anyone with symptoms to seek medical advice.

With concern growing about the spread of the virus, universities in the UK are keeping a check on staff who have recently returned from Wuhan, the city at the centre of the outbreak, as well as Chinese students who come from affected areas, many of whom will be concerned about loved ones at home.

China has become an increasingly important partner in UK higher education in recent years, with 120,000 Chinese students enrolled in UK universities last year and numerous partnerships and collaborations between universities in the UK and China.

Nine UK institutions have partnerships with Wuhan University in Hubei Province in central China, among them Dundee University which runs an architecture course in collaboration with Wuhan.

In an email to students, the university urged anyone who had travelled to affected areas and was suffering symptoms to contact their GP by phone, avoid crowded places and alert the people they live with.

Dr Jim McGeorge, university secretary and chief operating officer at Dundee, also warned students to take care if receiving packages from areas where the virus is present, especially if a package contains food items. Experts believe the virus has come from animals, possibly seafood.

In the case of the Dundee-Wuhan university partnership, Chinese students complete their first four years of study in Wuhan, and come to Dundee for their fifth and final year, often choosing to remain in the Scottish city to complete their master’s degree.

A statement from the university said: “There are currently 34 students from the programme in Dundee, having arrived in September 2019. There have been no health concerns raised among that group but we will continue to monitor the situation closely.”

The Chinese architecture students are among 900 students from China currently on the Dundee campus, of which 104 matriculated in January with a further 48 due to arrive later this month or next. The university confirmed that five members of staff returned from a visit to Wuhan last week, but there were no current health concerns.

The University of Glasgow, meanwhile, has a partnership with the Zhongnan University of Economics and Law in Wuhan. A total of 23 Chinese students are in the final two years of their degree in the school of mathematics and statistics. “We can confirm that all our Chinese students on this programme are currently studying at the university and in good health,” a spokesperson said.

Aberdeen also has a partnership with Wuhan University. “The university is aware of five members of staff who have visited Wuhan during the outbreak, four of whom returned to the university three or more weeks ago,” a spokesperson said. “The remaining member of staff has a non-teaching role and is working from home as a precautionary measure.”

Newcastle University hosts around 300 students who have links with Hubei province. “We are writing to them all to remind them to follow the health protection advice and to offer support to any student concerned about themselves or loved ones,” a spokesperson said. The university has also arranged a special health advice event for students arriving from China in the last month, to ensure they register with a doctor.

“In line with Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice, the university is advising that staff and students don’t travel to this area,” a spokesperson said.

Since the cap was lifted on the number of students able to study at UK universities in 2015, the sector has worked hard to increase recruitment from China. According to the most recent data, published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency, the number of Chinese students studying in UK higher education institutions exceeded 120,000 for the first time last year, a 13% increase on the previous year and up from fewer than 90,000 in 2014/15.

Liverpool University has one of the biggest Chinese student populations. It too has issued guidance to any student currently in or planning to travel to China in the immediate future. A statement on the university website said: “We would advise our students to avoid travelling to Wuhan if possible and follow basic hygiene rules including regular hand washing; maintain good personal hygiene; avoid visiting animal and bird markets, avoid people who are ill with respiratory symptoms [and] seek medical attention if you develop respiratory symptoms within 14 days of visiting Wuhan, either in China, or on return to the UK.”

Birmingham University also confirmed that students from a range of partner universities in Wuhan City are currently studying in the city. A spokesperson said those students would have travelled to the university months ago and the risk of infection was low.

Source of the article: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/jan/23/uk-universities-issue-health-warnings-over-travel-to-china-coronavirus

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Funding cuts take toll on support for visually impaired pupils

Sally Weale

By: Sally Weale.

 

Less than half (44%) of councils in England have either cut or frozen funding for educational support for VI children, putting specialist provision under significant pressure, according to the RNIB report.

A similar proportion (43%) have already had reductions in specialist staff and increasing workloads for those who remain, and almost a quarter (24%) are planning further reviews that could result in more cuts.

Meanwhile there has been a 7% increase in the numbers of young people requiring specialist support, the RNIB says.

The charity’s research, based on a freedom of information survey of local authorities in England, estimates that 11,000 children and young people have been affected by cuts, out of a total of about 30,000 with VI.

The report says young people with VI require a high level of specialist support in order to learn on equal terms with their sighted peers.

It says: “Having the right support in place can remove the barriers to learning and enable them to develop the specialist skills they need to succeed, not just at school but as adults with full lives,. However, whilst this research has identified pockets of good practice, overall the findings show a system of specialist provision under significant pressure.”

Almost three in 10 local authorities (28%) said specialist teachers had caseloads of more than 100 students, potentially affecting the quality of support they can provide, and in some local authorities young people above 16 are not getting the support to which they are entitled.

There is broad acknowledgment that provision and funding of special educational needs and disabilities (Send) in England is in crisis, with children unable to access vital support and parents trying to secure suitable provision from local authorities.

The government has announced additional funding of £700m for Send and areview of special needs education.

Keith Valentine, the director of development at RNIB, said: “Our research has revealed a shocking lack of resource for local authorities to deliver this crucial provision. With more than £14bn being promised for primary and secondary education between now and 2023, we are urging the government to act now and correct this funding gap to ensure every child with VI is able to fulfil their potential.”

Phoebe Clifton, 14, from Petersfield in Hampshire, has progressive cone dystrophy and is registered as severely visually impaired. She attends a mainstream school where she is currently well supported.

She said: “I’ve been very fortunate with the support I’ve had so far. My teacher adviser for the visually impaired makes sure I can do the same things as all the other kids in my class and has also helped me learn braille.

“My mobility officer has taught me how to get around using a cane. But I’m worried about what I will have in the future because I’m right in the middle of my GCSEs and the council might get rid of my support. I’m also worried for the kids coming up after me. If they don’t get the same support as I had, GCSEs will be so much harder for them.”

Judith Blake, the chair of the Local Government Association’s children and young people board, said councils were reaching the point where there was not enough money to keep up with demand, pushing support for children with Send to a tipping point.

She said: “While it was good the government announced extra money to support children and young people with Send for next year, it must provide long-term funding certainty in the upcoming spending review and budget.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We want all schools to have a workforce fully equipped to teach children with Send, and are working with various organisations – including the National Sensory Impairment Partnership – to make sure that’s the reality.

“We have also recently announced a £780m increase to local authorities’ high needs funding, boosting the budget by 12% and bringing the total spent on supporting those with the most complex needs to over £7 billion for 2020-21.”

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Primary school teachers want to see Sats scrapped

Sally Weale

By: Sally Weale.

A resounding 97% would like a ‘sensible alternative’ to the high-stakes attainment tests

A resounding 97% of primary school teachers would like to see high-stakes Sats tests scrapped, according to the largest poll undertaken on the subject.

More than 54,000 primary members of the National Education Union (NEU) took part in an indicative ballot last month. The vast majority said they supported their leaders’ campaign for “a sensible alternative” to the national standard attainment tests, which they say are damaging children and narrowing the curriculum.

The NEU said the result sent a clear message to the government that the assessment system must change. The results of a second question on the ballot paper, asking whether members would be prepared to take industrial action and boycott Sats, have not yet been released.

The NEU’s national executive will meet later this week to consider the next steps in their campaign, including industrial action, though the 39% response rate (more than 140,000 ballot papers were issued) would not meet the government’s industrial action ballot threshold.

The teachers’ poll coincides with the publication on Tuesday of the key stage 2 Sats results for 600,000 10- and 11-year-olds in England who took tests in reading, maths and spelling, punctuation and grammar (Spag) in May.

The tests are used by the government to assess school performance and hold schools to account. The NEU argues that young children should not be tested as it leads to hothousing, stress for both pupils and teachers, and a narrowing of the curriculum.

Kevin Courtney, the NEU’s joint general secretary, said the union’s indicative ballot showed there was “resounding support” for a change to primary assessment. “Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Green party all have major concerns about our Sats-dominated system and have pledged to change it.

“Government now needs to listen, and to accept the need to change a culture in which too many classrooms are dominated by teaching to the test, at the expense of the learning and wellbeing of our children.”

The schools minister, Nick Gibb, dismissed the ballot, saying that scrapping Sats would be a backward step. “The NEU’s indicative ballot does not even represent half their members, let alone the whole teaching profession.

“These tests have been part of school life since the 90s and have been pivotal in raising standards in our primary schools. Abolishing these tests would be a terrible, retrograde step. It would enormously damage our education system and undo decades of improvement in children’s reading and maths.”

Jeremy Corbyn received a standing ovation when he announced to teachers gathered at the NEU’s annual conference in April that his party would scrap Sats. Delegates at the conference voted in favour of a ballot over a possible boycott of Sats tests, seeing off an amendment from the executive arguing that a ballot was not the most appropriate tactic.

Responding to the NEU ballot, the shadow education secretary, Angela Rayner, said: “These results should send the government a clear message that Sats aren’t working for teachers or pupils, and it’s about time they listened.”

More Than a Score, a campaigning group of parents, teachers and education experts, said: “It’s not right or accurate to base a school’s overall performance on the test results of primary-age children. There are more supportive ways to assess children and fairer ways to measure schools, without the need to turn pupils into data points.”

Source of the article: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jul/09/primary-school-teachers-want-to-see-sats-scrapped

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Nearly 5,000 schools in England not given promised cash – union

Sally Weale

By: Seally Weale. 

 

England’s biggest teaching union has accused the government of breaking its promise to provide a modest cash boost to every school in England, claiming figures reveal that nearly 5,000 schools have received no extra funds or have even had their funding cut.

In the wake of mounting concern among teachers and parents about a school budget crisis, the education secretary, Damian Hinds, told MPs last year that a new national funding formula would guarantee each school “at least a small cash increase”, a pledge repeated by the prime minister in the Commons last May.

The National Education Union argued the offer was inadequate given the scale of the school funding squeeze, but its analysis of recent government figures subsequently revealed that 4,819 schools had either received no extra funds or had had their budget cut.

“This is yet another failure and another broken promise by government on school funding,” said Kevin Courtney, NEU joint general secretary. “The fact remains that schools were never going to manage on the money promised by government.

“However, headteachers, teachers, school staff and parents will be dismayed that even the meagre amounts of funds supposedly allocated to schools will not be received by everyone. Parents and school staff simply cannot trust what the government says on education funding.”

The NEU compared the schools block funding allocations for 2017-18 and 2018-19 and found that a quarter of primary schools (25%) and one in six secondary schools (17%) either received no cash increase or suffered an actual cut to their funding.

Responding to the NEU analysis, a Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson said that since 2017 the government had given every local authority more money for every pupil in every school in order to ensure fairer funding across the country.

“Government provides this money to local authorities and they have the freedom to work with schools to allocate their budgets in a way that best suits local needs,” the spokesperson said.

“While there is more money going into our schools than ever before, we do recognise the budgeting challenges schools face and that we are asking them to do more. That’s why we’re supporting schools and headteachers, and their local authorities, to make the most of every pound.”

According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, total school spending per pupil in England has fallen by about 8% in real terms between 2009-10 and 2017-18.

While schools have been struggling to meet rising costs, many local authorities have been forced to divert money from the main schools funding block they receive from the government to their high needs budget in order to meet growing demand for special educational needs support – a move that has to be sanctioned by the DfE.

The shadow education secretary, Angela Rayner, said Labour would end funding cuts and increase per-pupil funding. “The Tories have cut billions of pounds from our schools, which have seen their budgets falling for the first time in a generation,” she said.

“With rising pressure on class sizes and teachers leaving in droves, a generation of children is paying the price for Tory failure.”

Source of the article: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jan/07/nearly-5000-schools-in-england-not-given-promised-cash-union

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Universities raise alarm over no-deal Brexit and EU student enrolment

Sally Weale

By: Sally Weale. 

University leaders have said that a no-deal Brexit would constitute “one of the biggest threats” ever faced by the sector, as figures revealed a further decline in EU student enrolment, particularly in postgraduate research.

According to the Russell Group of universities, there was a 9% decrease in the number of EU postgraduate research students enrolling at its institutions this academic year. The fall follows a 9% decline the previous year, and has potential consequences for Britain’s research capacity.

Dr Hollie Chandler, a senior policy analyst at the 24-strong group of leading universities, described the decline as “troubling” and said that were the UK to leave the EU without a deal, it would only increase uncertainty among prospective students from the rest of Europe.

Overall, the number of EU students who enrolled for the 2018-19 academic year at Russell Group universities fell by 3%. Last year, there was a 1% increase in overall EU student numbers, after years of healthy growth in recruitment.

Although enrolment of EU27 citizens at undergraduate level grew by 1% this year, at taught postgraduate level it fell by 5%.

The figures come as an open letter from leaders of 150 universities to MPs said the impact of a no-deal Brexit could lead to “an academic, cultural and scientific setback from which it would take decades to recover”.

“University leaders are united in the view that the UK leaving the EU without a deal is one of the biggest threats our universities have ever faced,” the letter says. “As a sector which contributes over £21bn to UK GDP every year and supports 944,000 jobs, it is critical to the national interest, to the economy, communities and wider society, that the UK’s universities thrive post-Brexit.

“To do so, our government must demonstrate the required ambition, put the right measures and guarantees in place, and, crucially, avoid the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal on 29 March.”

University leaders are particularly anxious to secure a guarantee from ministers that research funding for which the UK may become ineligible after Brexit will be replaced. Funding from the European Research Council (ERC) and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme (MSCA) will be worth an estimated €1.3bn (£1.2bn) to the UK over the next two years, investing in projects to fight cancer and combat climate change.

Dame Janet Beer, the president of Universities UK, which represents vice-chancellors, said time was running out.

“While we welcome the assurances that the government has already provided about the continuation of Horizon 2020 funding in a no deal scenario, it is critical that similar guarantees are extended, without delay, to cover ERC and MSCA funding,” said Beer, who is vice-chancellor of the University of Liverpool.

“Without cast-iron assurances, world-leading academics and researchers may leave for countries where access to ERC funding is not at risk, and those currently considering relocating to the UK may think again.”

Dame Nancy Rothwell, the vice-chancellor of the University of Manchester, said vital research projects at her university risked being disrupted, including work on proton-beam therapy for cancer patients and Nobel-prize winning work on graphene.

“Researchers who have already spent months or even years preparing funding bids would be left high and dry, including those whose application would be stuck in the middle of the evaluation process,” she said.

Commenting on the EU student enrolment figures, Chandler said that although the Russell Group universities remained popular study destinations with strong global appeal, the figures cannot be ignored.

“It’s fair to assume that uncertainty over Brexit and the UK’s future relationship with Europe could be a significant factor. The drop in postgraduate research courses is especially troubling – these students contribute directly to the UK’s research capacity,” she said.

“If we leave the EU without a deal, the uncertainty felt by prospective European students will only get worse.”

A UK Government spokesperson said: “Science recognises no borders and the UK has a proud record of welcoming the world’s leading scientists and researchers to work and study here. This will not change when we leave the EU.

“Through our modern Industrial Strategy we are investing the highest ever level in research and development in UK history and we are committed to seeking an ambitious future relationship on science and innovation with our EU partners. We are also guaranteeing, in the event of a no deal, money for EU programme-funded research and innovation projects agreed before the end of 2020.”

Shadow Higher and Further Education Minister Gordon Marsden added: “Despite consistent warnings from Labour and the University sector, the Government has continued to ignore the impending damage, especially the drift to no deal, Brexit could cause to our world class Universities and FE Colleges.

“Today’s letter from the sector reiterated everything we have been saying over the past two years about the threats facing students, staff and research but DfE and the Education Secretary has been abysmally negligent in ensuring those concerns and a deal on them should be put at the top of the negotiations table.”

Source of the article: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jan/04/universities-raise-alarm-over-no-deal-brexit-and-eu-student-enrolment

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