Hundreds sign petition calling for ‘effective online lessons’
HUNDREDS of parents have signed a petition calling for Cardiff schools to provide effective online lessons until schools reopen fully.
The petition, started by mother Alison Jones, who has a 15-year-old daughter at a Cardiff secondary school, claims “many high school children in Cardiff have been without effective teaching since schools closed in March”.
It says: “A consistent, high, standard must be set for all schools, following best practice. Headteachers must be held accountable to those standards.
“This term has been lost, but it is essential that appropriate measures are put in place ready for blended learning from September. This must utilise the full range of technology and teaching resources available to provide structured, online lessons (alongside any classroom lessons available) within Welsh Government guidelines on safeguarding.
“The new academic year must get off to a sustained good start. Children in the state sector cannot be allowed to continue missing out on their education.”
Since the petition was launched earlier this week, 286 people have signed.
Ms Jones said she did not want to publicly name her daughter’s school but felt remote learning has been insufficient. She is worried that, with schools still not fully open next term, her daughter’s GCSE year will suffer. She said she is concerned for all children, not just her daughter.
“Some schools are doing better than others and the situation is harder for some children than others,” she said.
“I think if we don’t speak now, then time will tick away and they will come back in September and it still won’t be organised. There needs to be a plan for September.”
A Cardiff Council spokesperson said: “The Welsh Government guidance around the streaming of live lessons (synchronous learning) has recently changed and schools have now been provided with guidelines, which will allow them to prepare to deliver live lessons, safely and efficiently.
“Since school closures, Cardiff Council has provided significant training to support schools to deliver online and distanced learning, including virtual teacher training in partnership with the Open University.
“Further training will continue to support teachers in delivering both synchronous and blended learning. In addition to training, Cardiff Council is providing 3,000 laptops to teachers so that they do not have to use personal devices, protecting both their privacy and promoting safeguarding.
“Cardiff Council has addressed digital deprivation in the city – 7,000 pupils have now been provided with either a device and/or broadband so that they will no longer be at a disadvantage if and when live lessons are taking place.
“This means that from now on, all pupils will have the same opportunities to access online and blended learning, both during and after lockdown.”
He said that as well as paper-based materials, schools have provided pupils with a range of online learning during lockdown using tools such as Hwb, Office 365, Google Classroom or their own school platforms.