Education

The school bubble system is to be dropped and in-person teaching will remain at universities, Gavin Williamson has confirmed. The education secretary said the bubble system – which has kept pupils and teachings in groups to minimise mixing amid the Covid pandemic – and isolation is “causing disruption to many children’s education”. On Tuesday the government reported that levels of school absence linked to Covid-19 was at its highest level since March.More than eight per cent of state school pupils in England did not attend school last Thursday due to Covid-related reasons, including for confirmed Covid cases and being identified as a close contact. Concerns have been raised in recent weeks about the interpretation of rules which have resulted in large groups of pupils being sent home for 10 days if another pupil in their bubble tests positive for Covid-19.Mr Williamson told parliament on Tuesday that “key restrictions” would be dropped for schools from Step 4 of England’s roadmap out of lockdown, which is planned for 19 July. “Though keeping children in consistent groups was essential to control the spread of the virus when our population was less vaccinated, we recognise that the system of bubbles and isolation is causing disruption to many children’s education,” the education secretary said.“That is why we’ll be ending bubbles and transferring contact tracing to NHS test and trace system for early years settings, schools and colleges.”Geoff Barton from the Association for School and College Leaders (ASCL) said the scrapping of the bubbles system “should remove some of the current barriers to offering children and young people a full timetable of lessons and return school life to something which seems much more normal”. Mr Williamson also told MPs also said there would be “no restrictions on in-person teaching and learning in universities” unless students are told to self-isolate or affected by local outbreaks.But some universities have already confirmed they will be offering blended learning – a mix of online and in-person teaching – at the start of the next academic year.Mr Williamson told MPs on Tuesday: “I do not think it is acceptable that children should face greater restrictions over and above those of wider society, especially since they have given up so much to keep older generations safe during this pandemic.”As well as scrapping bubbles and schools having to do contact tracing themselves, the education secretary said another change would be children only needing to isolate after a positive Covid test, which would come into force from 16 August.Mr Barton from ASCL said this would “remove the main reason for current Covid-related pupil absence”. New government figures show around 561,000 children in England were self-isolating last Thursday due to possible contact with a Covid-19 case. This was on top of 34,000 pupils out of school with a suspected Covid case and 28,000 with a confirmed Covid infection.Around 8.5 per cent state school pupils did not attend class for Covid-19-related reasons on 1 July – up from 5.1 per cent from the week before, which was the highest level since March before being overtaken by the latest figures. Nick Brook from the school leaders’ union NAHT, said the latest figures “make for grim reading” and show the “huge impact” the highly contagious Delta variant of Covid is having on schools. “Whilst the government might argue that scrapping bubbles and changing rules around self-isolation will reduce the number of pupils missing education, we should be equally worried about the significant rise we have seen in confirmed and suspected cases in a single week,” the union’s deputy general secretary said. Speaking about the changes announced by Mr Williamson, Mr Brook said:“No school leader wants to have restrictions in place any longer than are needed, but there will be a sense of real concern amongst many that the worsening situation they see before their eyes is at odds with the government’s narrative of relaxation and return to normality.”“Schools have seen a near doubling of children contracting Covid-19, with 28,000 confirmed cases reported in the last week alone. “He added: “School leaders and parents alike will want more reassurance than has been given so far that removal of restrictions are supported by scientific evidence, not driven by political convenience.” More

Gavin Williamson has said the government wants to scrap school “bubbles” as part of England’s next step out of lockdown.The measure – which sees pupils and teachers kept in groups to keep mixing to a minimum – has been in place to limit the spread of coronavirus.But the education secretary said on Wednesday that the government is looking to get rid of it within weeks.Mr Williamson told parliament he wants to see remaining restrictions in schools, including bubbles, “removed as quickly as possible”. “We constantly assess all available data and we expect to be able to confirm plans to be able to lift restrictions and bubbles as part of Step 4,” he said.“Once that decision has been made, we will issue guidance immediately to schools.”Step 4 of England’s roadmap out of lockdown, when the government hopes to be able to remove all legal limits on social contact, is currently planned for no earlier than 19 July. Concerns have been raised in recent weeks about the interpretation of rules which have resulted in large groups of pupils being sent home for 10 days if another pupil in their bubble tests positive for Covid.Earlier this week, government data showed school absences linked to Covid had peaked at their highest rate since March.More than 330,000 students were self-isolating due to potential contact with a Covid case last week and tens of thousands more were out of school with a suspected or confirmed coronavirus infection.Reports this week suggested pupils may be able to avoid automatically self-isolating after coming in contact with a Covid case under rules which could be introduced after the summer holidays.Trials are currently ongoing into the use of daily contact testing in schools as an alternative to self-isolation after the measure was paused earlier this year following advice from Public Health England.“Further steps will be taken to reduce the number of children who have the self-isolate, including looking at the outcomes of the daily contact testing trial,” Mr Williamson said on Wednesday. More

School pupils may be spared from being forced to automatically self-isolate after contact with a positive Covid case under new rules which could come in force after the summer holidays.Nick Gibb, the schools minister, said on Tuesday that the government was considering using daily testing as an “alternative” to the existing rules under which children are forced to quarantine at home if anyone in their school bubble tests positive.A quarter of a million children missed school in a single week this month because of either Covid-19infection, self-isolation or school closures.According to The Guardian, which first reported the plans, the new system will aim to keep pupils in school as much as possible will be in place when England’s new school year begins in September.Pressed on the issue on Sky News, Mr Gibb said the government was currently carrying out trials of daily contact testing as a “possible alternative to self-isolation”.He suggested around three per cent of school children were currently away from the classroom due to self-isolation, saying: “That’s lower than the autumn. It tends to correlate with the number of infections in the community.”Mr Gibb added the government will look at the results of the trial and also vowed to make a decision on replacing the existing rules for school ahead of the 19 July target date to end all legal Covid restrictions in England.“We have to do everything we can to minimise the risk of transmission of this virus,” he said.On Monday, the new health secretary Sajid Javid said he has asked officials for “fresh advice” on the issue, adding that the existing policy is “having a huge knock-on impact” on children’s education.“I will hopefully be able to say more on this as soon as possible,” he said.Their remarks came as Dame Rachel de Souza, the new children’s commissioner for England, said the need for children to go in and out of isolation is “a really big issue” and is proving “incredibly frustrating” for pupils and teachers alike.“With bubbles, I think everybody would like it if we could get back to normal, as soon as possible. Obviously we have to be safe, and we have to take advice, but it’s very, very restrictive,” she told The Daily Telegraph.Separately, teachers are being warned to prepare for the return of on-site Covid testing in the new school year – a source of concern for teaching unions. New guidelines on Covid-19 testing were published by the government on Monday.Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Once again secondary schools are being put on standby to set up what are effectively fully-fledged Covid testing centres. The government must not underestimate the scale of this task and the likely disruption for pupils as they return in September.“At the very least, what we need to see this time round is schools being given the proper support they need and an acceptance that this will take some time to work through.“It is becoming increasingly clear that there is a strong chance it will not be ‘business as usual’ for schools next term and the government will need to take into account the additional pressures they will be having to deal with.”On catch-up plans for school children, Mr Gibb also said that a review was under way into how effective it would be to increase the length of the school day to allow children to catch up with missed learning due to the pandemic.“We know that the best catch up of course happens every day in school with children at school in those classrooms.”“But we’re also conducting a review right now of the evidence about extending the school day and time spent in school to understand how that would work, how effective it would be if we were to increase the length of the school day.” More

A ban on mobile phones in schools is being considered in a new consultation on behaviour and discipline, with Gavin Williamson warning the devices are “distracting” and could even be “damaging”. The education said he wanted to make the school day “mobile-free” and to ensure pupils can benefit from “calm classrooms”. But one leading union said Mr Williamson seemed to be “obsessed” with the topic of mobile phones in schools. A ban on their use in schools is being considered as part of a six-week consultation launched on Tuesday, which is seeking the views of teachers, parents and other staff on how to manage good behaviour.The call for evidence comes ahead of planned updates to government guidance later this year on behaviour, discipline, suspensions and permanent exclusions.The Department for Education (DfE) has already announced details of its £10m “behaviour hub” programme.Headteachers and behaviour specialists from 22 “lead schools” and two academy chains with strong reputations for behaviour are mentoring and supporting schools struggling with poor discipline as part of the scheme.The chosen schools are advising on a variety of issues – ranging from setting clear expectations to eliminate low-level disruption in classrooms, to more systematic approaches to maintaining order across the school, including forbidding the use of mobile phones and maintaining quiet corridors.As part of the consultation, respondents will be asked how schools’ behaviour policies and approaches have changed amid the pandemic and what successful practices they intend to keep up.“No parent wants to send their child to a school where poor behaviour is rife. Every school should be a safe place that allows young people to thrive and teachers to excel,” Mr Williamson said.“Mobile phones are not just distracting, but when misused or overused, they can have a damaging effect on a pupil’s mental health and wellbeing. I want to put an end to this, making the school day mobile-free.“In order for us to help pupils overcome the challenges from the pandemic and level up opportunity for all young people, we need to ensure they can benefit from calm classrooms which support them to thrive.”The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) accused Mr Williamson of “playing to backbenchers” with his plans.“The education secretary appears to be obsessed with the subject of mobile phones in schools. In reality, every school will already have a robust policy on the use of mobile phones; it isn’t some sort of digital free-for-all,” the union’s general secretary said.“Approaches will vary between settings and contexts, but this is an operational decision for schools, not something that can be micromanaged from Westminster.”He added: “Frankly, school and college leaders would prefer the education secretary to be delivering an ambitious post-pandemic recovery plan and setting out how he intends to minimise educational disruption next term, rather than playing to backbenchers on the subject of behaviour.”Meanwhile Sarah Hannafin, senior policy advisor for school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Mobile phone bans work for some schools but there isn’t one policy that will work for all schools.“Outright banning mobile phones can cause more problems than it solves, driving phone use ‘underground’ and making problems less visible and obvious for schools to tackle.”Earlier this year, Mr Williamson said he would support schools who decide to ban the use of mobile phones, saying the devices distract from “exercise and good old-fashioned play” and contribute to cyber-bullying.The education secretary said in April technology had been “invaluable” for pupils during lockdowns, but that “it’s now time to put the screens away”. Additional reporting by Press Association More

Teachers have been put under enormous pressure by parents hoping to improve their children’s grades, the shadow education secretary has said.In a keynote speech at the Festival of Education, Kate Green told the audience how she had heard “too many” reports from school leaders around the pressure that parents were exerting on teachers to boost grades.“Young people and their parents are worrying about whether they will get the grades they need for the next stage of their life, whether that’s in university, college, an apprenticeship or the workplace,” she said.“Students have spent years working towards this point, but they fear that all of their hard work will be thrown into disarray in another summer of exams chaos that everyone, except it seems the government, could see coming months ago.”She added teachers from across the country were “desperate to do the right thing” for their students under these “incredibly challenging” circumstances.She said the government’s lack of a credible plan was responsible for placing a significant share of this pressure on the teachers, and creating an environment rife for animosity between teachers, students and parents.“While the government have said that they’re backing teachers and supporting them throughout the process, the reality is they’ve (the teachers) been left to carry the can for a system that I am hugely worried cannot deliver fairness,” she said.“I’ve heard too many reports from teachers and school leaders concerned about the enormous pressure coming from parents to change grades if they’re not satisfied with the grade their child is awarded.”Ms Green she had heard complaints from students about the different ways in which they had been assessed – both across and within schools.“I’ve heard students comparing notes about the different ways in which they’ve been assessed.“The lack of consistency, not just from region to region or school to school, but even within individual schools, is really striking, and it’s concerning.“It compounds the uneven learning experience that students have had over the past 15 months, as some parts of the country were hit again and again by Covid restrictions, as some students were sent home again and again to isolate, and as some lacked the resources for effective at home learning.”The shadow secretary’s comments come as teachers across England finalised students GCSE and A-level grades as the summer’s exams were cancelled for the second year in a row, because of disruptions caused by the pandemic.The final grades are now based on a range of evidence including mock exams, coursework and in-class assessments using material from exam boards.Last week, education secretary Gavin Williamson warned that it was unlikely that exams would return to normal by next year.He said that “adjustments and mitigations” would likely be necessary to ensure fairness, as those currently in year 10 and 12, who would be writing exams next summer, have also “suffered disruption as a result of the pandemic”. More

Schools have decided not to sing the anthem for One Britain One Nation Day, despite the government encouraging them to celebrate the event.Headteachers told The Independent their pupils did not sing the song – which ends with chants of “strong Britain, great nation” – on Friday, due to Covid guidelines, logistical issues and because it “feels like propaganda”. The Department for Education encouraged schools to celebrate One Britain One Nation Day on 25 June, during which they said children could “learn about our shared values of tolerance, kindness, pride and respect”. But the government was criticised after the event’s patriotic anthem was shared widely on social media. Lyrics include “we are Britain and we have one dream, to unite all people in one great team” and references to Britain having “widened our island’s shores”. Headteachers told The Independent their schools skipped the song on Friday.One school leader in Liverpool said their school did not participate as they were not officially told about the event and they did not get enough warning to learn and sing the song in time.The headteacher, who wished to stay anonymous, also said schools were being advised not to sing unless it is distanced and outside. “And, frankly, it was awful,” they added. Matt Davies, a headteacher in North Yorkshire, said his school also did not sing the song on Friday, when One Britain One Nation Day took place.“Firstly, our current risk assessment dictates that whole school or whole class signing is not permitted due to the increased risk of potential transmission,” he told The Independent. “Secondly, I couldn’t agree that the wording of the song was impartial. It certainly comes across as potentially divisive which is not consistent with our school values and ethos.”Hildi Mitchell, the head of Downs Infant School in Brighton, told The Independent they did not participate in the song due to logistics, saying they had other things going on like school trips, and any performance would take several weeks for her pupils to master. Speaking about another reason why they chose not to sing the song, she said: “I don’t think the government have demonstrated any of these values through their actions so this feels like propaganda, my parents have emailed me to say they agree and don’t want their children singing it.” Ollie Williams, a deputy headteacher in southeast England, said their primary school also did not participate, telling The Independent: “It wasn’t mandatory and we have a full rich curriculum that the children are accessing until the end of term.”Amid backlash over the song, the founder of One Britain One Nation, former policeman Kash Singh, told GB News it was seven- to 10-year-old children who wrote the song.“They wrote that song because they wanted to bring unity, they want to celebrate pride, they want every child to feel part of this country,” he said. “And I don’t know how – and I still havent comprehended it – how it has had a negative reaction.”He added: “This is the children of our country, writing those words, wanting to celebrate our country, and bringing each other together. And they want to do that because they want to elimate hate. “One Britain One Nation is a group that says it wants “to create, a strong, fair, harmonious and a proud British Nation, celebrating patriotism and respect for all our people”.A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Our schools should promote fundamental British values including tolerance and respect. As such, we support One Britain One Nation’s broad aims to help children learn about equality, kindness and pride, and it is for schools to decide how they teach these important values.They added: “The department has not asked people to sing songs or endorsed any specific materials for One Britain One Nation day.” More

Headteachers have said the “culture war” over the term white privilege is unlikely to serve the disadvantaged pupils at the heart of the debate. A new report has claimed the phrase undermines educational chances and may have contributed towards a “systemic neglect” of white working-class children.This stance has sparked backlash among politicians, with Labour MPs on the education committee distancing  themselves and claiming the report was being used to stoke “culture wars”.Headteachers have also questioned whether the attack on the phrase would benefit disadvantaged pupils.Jonathan Mountstevens, a deputy headteacher, told The Independent: “I think the prominent focus on terminology such as ‘white privilege’ is divisive and diverts attention from the rest of the report.” “I agree that schools should exercise caution over the use of controversial terms and should avoid stigmatising any students on account of their ethnicity, but it is stretching the bounds of credibility to suggest that this is a significant cause of the underachievement of white students from low income backgrounds.” In a new report, the Tory-dominated education select committee said white working-class pupils have been “let down” for decades by England’s education system and “divisive” language can make the situation worse.The report suggests schools should consider whether the promotion of “politically controversial terminology, including white privilege” is a breach of equalities duties. “I cannot think of a single example from my experience of ‘white privilege’ being taught to students and certainly not used to label them,” Mr Mountstevens from Hertfordshire told The Independent.“The disproportionate emphasis on this in the report invites unnecessary controversy and ruins the opportunity to build consensus around making a real difference for young people who have not been well served for an extended period and deserve much better.”Meanwhile Kieran McLaughlin, a headteacher in Durham, told The Independent: “I would say that the effect of multigenerational poverty and a wide range of societal factors beyond the control of schools have contributed to disadvantage.”He added: “Framing this within a narrative of culture wars is unlikely to solve any of the problems affecting the most disadvantage.”Matt Davies, a headteacher in North Yorkshire, told The Independent: “From the outside, the story seems very politicised and is perhaps forgetting that schools need proper funding to meet the needs of all children.” On Tuesday, the education select committee released their report called The forgotten: how White working-class pupils have been let down, and how to change it. It made recommendations to improve white working-class pupils’ outcomes, including finding “a better way to talk about racial disparities” to avoid pitting different groups against each other.The committee agreed with the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities that discourse around the term “white privilege” can be “divisive”.But Labour MPs on the committee opposed the criticism of terms like “white privilege” in the report.Jo Grady from the University and College Union said the report will be “remembered for its divisiveness and for what looks and smells like a weaponising of educational inequalities to suit a different agenda”.Robert Halfon, the Tory chair of the education select committee, has denied he was trying to engage in culture wars by bringing up white privilege.”One of the reasons we found that white working-class boys and girls are struggling in education is because the families have disengaged from the education system and we believe this concept of white privilege perpetuates that idea,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.When asked whether the committee was trying to create a culture war, Mr Halfon said: “I have never engaged in culture wars, all I care about, as our committee does, is addressing the decades of neglect that have led to a situation where white working-class boys and girls from disadvantaged backgrounds are underperforming.”A Department for Education spoksperson said: “Schools play a crucial role in helping pupils understand the world around them and their place within it, and in teaching about respect for other people and for difference.”They added: “Schools have a duty to remain politically impartial and should not teach contested theory or opinions as fact. They must also be mindful of the need to offer a balanced presentation of opposing views.” More

Gavin Williamson has vowed to “drive forward” a change which would see university offers be based on actual exam results.The government announced plans last year to overhaul the current system, which sees universities make offers on predicted grades.A consultation has been carried out over this change, which the education secretary has said would support pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.Speaking to parliament on Monday, Mr Williamson said the government is currently looking at the results from this and wanted to bring forward a post-qualifications admissions (PQA) system “as rapidly as possible”. “We would like to do that without legislation and in co-operation with the sector,” he said. “But if we aren’t able to have that co-operation, we will drive this forward.”The government launched a consultation into this potential reform of the university admissions system amid concerns about the accuracy of predicted grades.One option being considered by ministers would see students apply to university and receive offers from institutions after A-level results day – and the start of university could be pushed back.The other option would see students apply in the usual way during term-time, but offers would only be made after results day in the summer.A Ucas director said earlier this year the university admissions body would “cautiously” support the second model, but the first option – which would see students apply to university after A-level results day and start courses in January – was “a step too far”. In the consultation document, Mr Williamson said the system using predicted grades is “limiting the aspirations of students before they know what they can achieve”. “We know that this disproportionately affects the brightest children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds,” he said, adding he wanted to “smash through ceilings” stopping students from reaching their potential. Speaking about the proposed reform on Monday, he said: “All the evidence from the Sutton Trust and so many others is very clear than PQA goes to help children from the most disadvantaged families more than any other.”“That is why we will make it happen.”Last year, a survey by the Sutton Trust, a social mobility charity, suggested working-class students were more likely to say they would have applied to a more selective university if they had known their A-level grades first.Previous research from the charity found high achievers from disadvantaged backgrounds were more likely to end up achieving better grades than predictions compared to those who are better-off.Back in 2017, research found the university admissions process relied too heavily on predicted grades and personal statements, which could put poorer pupils at a disadvantage. More