Snap lockdown step ‘frustrates teachers’
Teachers were left frustrated by the snap announcement of a lockdown which gave them just hours to prepare for a return to remote learning, a Bath head teacher says.
News of the third lockdown for England broke at 8pm on Monday, January 4, with schools to close immediately.
Until that Monday afternoon, the Department for Education (DFE) had promised teachers that schools would remain open and exams would go ahead.
Joe Beament, 37, executive head at St Saviour’s Infant Church School and St Saviour’s Junior Church School, in Bath, said that the constant “u-turns” were “eroding trust between the DFE and the profession”.
He said: “Leaders, teachers and school staff understand and expect the Government to take the required action to protect public health.
“The frustration leaders and teachers feel is with the way the announcement was made and the impact this has had on the children, teachers and families.
“The DFE persistently and repeatedly saying that schools would open as planned (on Monday/tuesday) even up to Monday lunchtime made planning and implementing remote learning very difficult.
“The announcement at 8pm on Monday of an immediate closure forced schools to act quickly,” he said.
Mr Beament, who is well-known by his Twitter handle @ Mrb_online, has been a head teacher for eight years
He said it had been a “tough week” and praised teachers at his schools for their hard work in moving learning online despite being given little time to prepare.
He did not support the Education Secretary’s suggestion on Wednesday (January 8), that parents should complain to Ofsted if they were dissatisfied with the quality of online teaching.
Mr Beament said: “I encourage families to do the opposite - tell Ofsted, head teachers, leaders, the community how well teachers are dealing with this situation and supporting the children and communities.
“If things aren’t working for your children, feed this back to the school. Teachers want to understand and will reflect and adapt to ensure all children are getting the very best education possible within these very difficult circumstances.” The head teacher acknowledged that the move to online learning had not been straightforward for all families - particularly those who are most vulnerable.
“The biggest challenges lie with families’ access to technology and reliable internet connection. “We have only received five Government laptops (across the two schools) to date which is not enough to support our most vulnerable families. We are expecting a further allocation but this has not arrived yet,” he said.
In the meantime, the PTA has helped raise enough money for 16 extra laptops for families without one.
Although he did not appreciate the short notice of the announcement, Mr Beament said he agreed with the government’s decision to cancel exams this year.