Ofsted chief says schools could be sending pupils home ‘too readily’ amid the Covid pandemic
- Chief inspector of Ofsted highlighted rise in parents opting to home school
- She said many parents of special educational needs pupils have been told their schools can’t accommodate them due to Covid risk
- 55% of secondary schools in England had at least one pupil self-isolating
Some schools may be sending children home ‘too readily’ amid the coronavirus pandemic, the chief inspector of Ofsted has said.
Amanda Spielman highlighted a rise in parents opting to home school this term – with many not having made an active decision to keep their child at home.
She said parents of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) pupils have been told that schools cannot accommodate their children due to Covid-19 risk assessments.
Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman highlighted a rise in parents opting to home school this term – with many not having made an active decision to keep their child at home
Speaking at the online National Children and Adult Services Conference (NCASC), the chief inspector called for a ‘simplification of government advice’ for schools to help parents and teachers as we enter winter.
‘There are indications that schools may sometimes be sending pupils home too readily,’ Ms Spielman told local authority professionals.
She highlighted a rise in the number of parents opting to home school this term – and ‘quite a proportion’ of the children have special educational needs.
Ms Spielman said: ‘And here, many parents haven’t made an active decision to keep their child at home – they’ve been told that schools can’t accommodate them.
‘Because it’s too difficult, because Covid risk assessments won’t allow it. It’s deeply concerning and, understandably, many parents feel cut adrift.’
She added: ‘For the children with SEND that have been able to get back into education, it hasn’t been plain sailing either.
‘We’re hearing that many have suffered setbacks in their communication skills – probably down to having reduced social interaction for such a long time.
‘And, although some people are working really creatively to help families, this is an ongoing concern.
‘We’ll be looking at this more in the next report from our autumn visits.’
Her comments come after school attendance dropped from 89% to 86% in the week ahead of the October half-term break.
Latest Government figures show 55% of secondary schools – and 20% of primary schools – in England had at least one pupil self-isolating due to potential contact with a Covid-19 case inside the school on October 22
Around 82% of secondary school pupils were in class on October 22, while attendance in primary schools dropped to 90%.
About 6% to 7% of state school pupils did not attend class for coronavirus-related reasons on October 22.
More than half (55%) of secondary schools in England – and 20% of primary schools – had at least one pupil self-isolating due to potential contact with a Covid-19 case inside the school on October 22, Department for Education (DfE) statistics show.
Government figures also show that the majority of secondary schools in England sent home at least one pupil because of coronavirus.
This comes as the UK’s biggest teacher union has demanded that secondary schools only open on a week-on, week-off system after lockdown.
The joint general secretary of the National Education Union, Kevin Courtney, has said the new rotas should be used until the country has a ‘fit for purpose’ Test and Trace system.
The union has already pleaded for schools to close during lockdown to no avail.
However, new Government rules have mandated that pupils and teachers in secondary schools now must wear masks in all areas except the classroom.
— to www.dailymail.co.uk
