Schools may cut down curriculum for a year

SCHOOLS may teach a slimmed-down curriculum focusing on maths and English when children return in September, with the full syllabus not reappearing until next summer, according to draft government plans.

Some subjects may be put on hold until 2021 to allow time for pupils to catch up on the core subjects given insufficient attention during lockdown, under plans being considered by ministers.

Pupils taking their GCSES next summer may also need to drop some subjects entirely so that extra space can be made in their timetables for English and maths lessons, says proposed guidance on schools reopening. Children in their first year at secondary school may need to be retaught parts of the English and maths syllabus from their final year at primary.

Gavin Williamson, the Education Secretary, will announce this week how schools in England will operate from September and detailed guidance will be published by the Department for Education. It is expected to focus on how schools ensure that children will catch up on work they have missed.

The plans are likely to attract criticism that a generation of children will be denied a rounded, proper education following the Government’s failure to reopen schools alongside shops, pubs, restaurants and theme parks.

The issue is causing anger among parents, and Conservative MPS are growing increasingly concerned over the long-term political impact.

The guidelines will also feature social distancing advice, telling teachers to spend no more than 15 minutes standing closer than one metre to anyone. Whole-school assemblies will be banned, and year groups will be expected to have their lunch and start and finish their day at different times.

It comes amid fears that a decade of progress in narrowing the attainment gap is in danger of being reversed. Last night, Mr Williamson told The Daily Telegraph that he had been shocked at the “level of resistance” he had faced in trying to reopen schools. “The fundamental priority is getting every child back to school,” he said.

“We have got almost 1.5 million children back at the moment and we have proven we can run schools safely for children and for staff. I must confess I never believed we would face the level of resistance we ended up seeing over things that we know are right for the children.”

The guidance adds that schools should take “robust” measures to reengage parents whose children were persistently absent prior to the

pandemic or who have fallen behind. Teachers will be asked to take a tough stance when dealing with “persistently disruptive” pupils, amid concerns that a lack of routine and discipline during lockdown will lead to an increase in bad behaviour.

The Telegraph revealed earlier this month that social distancing will not be applied at all times in schools and that “bubbles” will be expanded to include entire year groups.

The draft guidance states that secondary schools will be asked to put students in “year bubbles”, while primaries will be asked to stick to “class bubbles”.

This means that in secondary schools, entire year groups of up to 240 pupils could be sent home if one child tests positive for coronavirus.

Primary pupils will not be expected to keep socially distant from their classmates and secondary pupils will be advised to stay one metre apart where they can, but not at all times.

Teachers will be told to keep two metres away from pupils and remain at the front of the class while teaching.

If a child shows Covid-19 symptoms during the school day, they will need to be immediately placed in isolation until they can be picked up by their parents, the draft guidance says. Where there are multiple cases in a school, a letter should be sent to parents but the names of children or teachers who test positive should not be circulated, according to the Huffington Post.

Parents who fail to send their children to school will be fined, Mr Williamson said yesterday. From September, school will be “compulsory” and families may face financial penalties if they keep their children at home unless they have a “good reason” for the absence.

The guidance also contains public health advice for schools, including that no face coverings are necessary for teachers since they “interfere” with teaching and learning.

Head teachers criticised the Government’s plans to reopen schools, warning that they will spark a new wave of infections. They said getting children back to the classroom in September will be “extremely challenging” and ministers should come up with a back-up plan in case it is not safe to reopen.