Kids who don’t return to class next month could receive less online teaching as schools will need double the staff
CHILDREN who don’t return to class next month could receive less online teaching as schools will need double the staff in for classes that are social distancing, parents have been warned.
The government currently plans for pupils in reception, year one, and year six to return on June 1 and hopes to see other primary school year groups back by the end of June.
The majority of pupils in secondary school are not expected to return until the beginning of the next academic year in September.
But there are now warnings that any year groups that do not return may not have the same level of remote teaching available to them from next month, the Telegraph reported.
Official advice from the Department of Education says that class sizes in reopened schools should have a 15-pupil limit – half the usual size – to allow for social distancing.
That is expected to mean more staff than normal will be needed to supervise regular classes, and that fewer will be available for remote teaching.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Headteachers, told the Telegraph that “splitting classes in order to reduce the risk of transmission requires twice the number of staff, leaving fewer teachers to support those other children still at home.”
Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, added that teachers “cannot be in more than one classroom at once”.
REOPEN SCHOOLS WHEN IT IS SAFE, SAY UNIONS
Schools across the UK closed indefinitely in March amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and normal classes replaced by online sessions and other forms of home learning.
The gradual decline of new cases in the country has sparked a fierce debate about when schools should reopen with fears about the possible impact of the move.
Kids across the country face falling behind without proper lessons and continued homeschooling from parents who are also trying to juggle their own jobs and working from home.
Professor Alan Smithers, Director of Centre for Education and Employment Research at University of Buckingham, has accused unions of “setting a spurious list of unreasonable and vague demands” and warned that the future of the country’s children was “hanging by a thread”.
And yesterday saw at least one union advise its members to prepare to reopen on June 1 after receiving assurances from government scientific advisers.
But public health experts have expressed concern that opening schools too early could lead to a resurgence of cases, while teaching unions have said it could endanger the health of staff.
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A number of unions have called on the government only to reopen schools once safety measures like comprehensive testing of children and staff can be guaranteed.
The last week has seen unions in talks with ministers and calling on the government only to reopen schools once precautions like testing for children and staff can be put in place.
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