Difficult balancing act for our schools

APART from the appalling health consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, the impact on education at all levels has been harsh.

But while university students can adapt to online learning quite well, that isn’t necessarily the case for younger school pupils. Part of the younger learning experience entails a strong element of interaction with other pupils of the same age and their teachers, and the Welsh Government’s early years policy of learning through play is a further factor that makes social distancing more difficult.

Policy makers have to strike a balance between keeping children’s education going and keeping everyone safe.

Parents unused to teaching their children – and with no qualifications to do so – have been thrust into the role of part-time educators, with a certain amount of online input available to assist.

We know there have been serious problems affecting Welsh school education, particularly at the secondary level, and having to accommodate the pandemic has been an additional challenge the system could have done without.

The Welsh Government has faced a difficult dilemma over when to reintroduce children who have been away from school for months to their normal routine. Clearly the worry is that the longer they are away from school, the longer it will take them to reacclimatise. Yet on the other hand, there is the danger posed by Covid19. While there is evidence that children are less likely to catch the virus than older people, there remains the possibility that they could be carriers.

Education Minister Kirsty Williams

has decided to bring children back to school from later this month. She and her officials have made it clear that the purpose of doing so is less about trying to catch up on learning that has been lost than readjusting to a school environment and being given the opportunity to interact with their classmates. In some cases, this will amount to no more than a couple of days in school, and some parents will be tempted to wonder whether the exercise is worthwhile.

Our view is that even such a brief reintroduction to school may have merit, so long as everything possible is done to ensure the safety of pupils, teachers and other staff. Coming at the end of what in normal circumstances would be a busy school year, it gives children the chance to reconnect with their friends in an educational setting and be prepared for a less disruptive year ahead.