The return of all primary pupils before 2020 Summer break has been dropped and if this morning’s news was anything to go by the debate regarding more pupils returning to school, what the return will look like and what will happen over the Summer break remains contentious.
Current plans to integrate more pupils into schools
Earlier in the week, Gavin Williams, Education Secretary confirmed that schools would not be able to welcome all primary children back before the summer break in 2020 as had been initially planned.
This is a step back from the PM’s initial announcement where he discussed the plan for re-opening of primary schools for all pupils for four weeks before the summer holidays. Despite Headteachers and other professional bodies speaking up about the unrealistic Government expectations, schools were expected to push on with this plan.
It is understood that school leaders, parents, school staff and pupils will have mixed views on this announcement and Headteachers will need to manage this accordingly. The Education Secretary did confirm:
- From the 15 June it is expected that secondary schools will be welcoming back year 10 and 12 in some form of face-to-face support
- The Government are still working to bring all pupils back by September 2020, if the science allows this
- Exams will happen in 2021 and the Government have acknowledged that students have encountered huge disruption and they will do everything in their power to minimise this
What will happen if the 2m rule remains in September?
Pupils in England will not be going back to school full time in September if the 2m social distancing rule is still in place, academy leaders say.
Hamid Patel, chief executive of the Star Academy group, is calling for an urgent recognition that schools will not have capacity for a full return and also highlighted that schools need a decision on social distancing to be able to start making plans.
If the ambition is “genuinely for all schools to reopen in September, open and honest discussions are needed” about what “workable solutions” could be achieved, says Mr Patel.
We will have to see what the next few weeks bring in terms of an open and honest dialogue and will of course keep you posted!
What can schools do during this time?
Staff engagement is important at the best of times but during this time it is paramount that leaders are engaging their staff as it will help with morale and employee engagement. Here are just some ideas on how this can be achieved;
- Continue to offer regular support groups/discussions for staff, allowing them to come together and share feelings, ideas and thoughts on the situation they find themselves in.
- Reassure all staff, but particularly those who have not been in work, about what protective measures are in place…. and continue to clean, clean, clean!
- Leaders asking for continuous feedback on how staff are finding the introduction of more pupils plus the key workers and vulnerable pupils that were already attending school
- Parent voice – encourage parents to speak to their children to understand how they feel about the possibility of returning or what they feel has worked well/not so well since going back to school.
To support employee communication, we have been offering our communications app SAMconnect to schools and academies for free until September. If you would like to know more about SAMconnect click here or call 01924 907319.
With the talk of ‘catch up activities’ which could involve school staff being asked to work over Summer, anxiety and worry amongst staff may increase. Leaders should be catching concerns early and being as open with staff as they possibly can. Opening a discussion for dialogue could help to elevate some of the worries and also help leaders to gauge how responsive staff may be if this was a route the school intended to pursue. Schools will need to take advice on the contractual aspects of working over the Summer break and our HR team are here to help.
As we all know, this is an ever changing situation and leaders are expected to manage what sometimes will feel like an impossible task. Employers need to utilise the resources they have in their schools with staff being the most important resource. In addition to pupil wellbeing don’t forget to consider staff wellbeing at this time.
FusionHR offer counselling services and bespoke training programs to help staff focus on how to manage their own mental health and wellbeing and the wellbeing of others. Our Stress Less Smile More Programme of support has been extremely popular. For further information about this course click here. We are also running counselling sessions on anxiety of returning to work and you can see a short video about this on our video page. If you need help managing employee stress or anxiety, please get in touch. The sessions will be carried out remotely and are still continuing.
Our HR Consultants are always here to advice and guide leaders through their HR issues or queries. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch on 01924 827869.
References
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-52969679
