What’s in store for when school’s back for the class of Covid-19?

By the beginning of April the coronavirus pandemic meant approximately 1.5 billion children were locked down at home, out of education. Four months later, after the longest summer holiday imaginable, the English government is preparing for a back-to-school September like never before.

Schools across the country have been instructed to reintroduce compulsory attendance for all year groups, starting in September. In the back to school guidance, the government claims that “the balance of risk is now overwhelmingly in favour of children returning to school,” citing the detrimental impact on children’s “cognitive and academic development, particularly for disadvantaged children”, in contrast with the Covid’s apparently very small threat to children.

The guidance encourages schools to take initiative, reviewing proceedings and safeguarding case by case. Some are optimistic about the return to school, praising the prioritisation of education and the freedom it provides for parents to return to work. Others feel the onus has been unfairly shifted onto teachers, asking them to go to extreme lengths to revolutionise teaching and logistics to meet social distancing measures.

Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of one of the largest teaching unions, the NASUWT, told an online audience at the Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Festival: “Teachers alone cannot deliver the education recovery that our children need. We also need the Government to step up.”

This week the Children’s Commissioner, Anne Longfield, told the government they must be prepared to keep schools open even if “further inventions” such as closing pubs and restaurants are needed to minimise infection risk.

What is the guidance for schools?

Schools face a tricky task, although they do not need to socially distance pupils by two metres, they do need to minimise contact between hundreds of children who have spent months without normal socialisation. Government guidance encourages focusing on some year groups being educated in “small bubbles”, in addition to enhanced cleaning arrangements, robust hand and respiratory hygiene and active engagement with NHS test and trace systems. The guidance reiterates an overarching principle of reducing contact between children and staff.

A day in the life of a socially distanced school

In coming weeks schools will contact parents and students reiterating that attendance in schools is compulsory, explaining safety measures to help to soothe anxieties about returning to school, and will introduce the new hygiene-related behavioural rules that all students must abide by. Uniform rules will resume full enforcement, but guidelines ensure that they do not require more washing than usual, or any kind of different treatment.

The government is encouraging walking or cycling to school where possible, or driving if that is an option. Dedicated school transport should follow the same bubbles or groupings used within the schools, and local authorities have been urged to provide dedicated transport for schoolchildren where feasible. Schools will urge public transport use – particularly in peak times – to be kept to a minimum.

Face coverings are optional, but where students and staff choose to use them, there should be clear communication as to when and where to remove masks. Disposable masks should be disposed of immediately, and reusable ones should be placed in a plastic bag and taken home safely. Schools are unlikely to do temperature tests as this is not seen as a reliable way to test for coronavirus.

Throughout each school there should be “robust hand and respiratory hygiene” as well as heightened cleaning arrangements. Schools will employ a “one meter-plus” rule where teachers, if possible, keep a distance from students, avoiding close face to face contact.

In class, desks will be rearranged so that students will sit facing forwards, rather than facing each other. Break times will be staggered in line with bubble arrangements to avoid busy corridors, with staff ensuring they take adequate breaks but avoiding crowding the staff rooms.

A full return to normal curriculum in all subjects is not expected until the summer term of 2021, but extracurricular activities with the above safeguarding will resume if possible. Outdoor sports will be prioritised and there will be no school choirs and ensembles or assemblies, as singing poses a heightened risk of spreading infection.

The end of the school day will also likely be staggered to avoid entrances and exits being overwhelmed with students.

What happens if a student contracts the virus?

Schools must engage with NHS track and trace systems. Any student that has symptoms, and the people they have been in contact with, will be forced to quarantine for two weeks – even if they test negative.

What if I am not ready to send my children back?

Schools are being encouraged to identify early on those who might feel anxious about returning to school. This might be students who until the start of August had been shielding, those living with vulnerable relatives, or BAME students who are statistically more at risk. Schools should reiterate compulsory attendance but work with students and parents to communicate the extent of the measures introduced for student and teacher safety. Though Ofsted inspections continue to be suspended, inspectors will visit a sample of schools to discuss management of the return to education in the coming months.

In the special circumstance that a child has been instructed by a clinician not to return to school, the school will be required to continue remote education.

Catch-up support

Due to different living situations, how students have coped during lockdown will vary case by case. The government announced a package worth £1 billion to ensure schools have the resource to make up for lost teaching time. There will be a one-off grant of £650 million to ensure all pupils can catch up and a National Tutoring Programme for those particularly disadvantaged.

Private school disparity 

The coronavirus crisis has illuminated the vast disparities in private and state school education. Many private schools were able to conduct home schooling in more thorough and extensive ways, and could rely more fully on pupils’ access to devices and the internet for online learning. New social distancing regulations are only going to widen this gap.

According to the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC), the governing body for independent schools, the average class size is approximately one teacher for every nine pupils in the private sector. In comparison, state schools have approximately 22 students for every teacher. Small class sizes will make following the government regulations such as bubbles and front-facing desks far easier to follow. The government also outlines schools should use their “existing resources” to enable safe re-openings, meaning state schools are likely to take large financial hits in efforts to follow the advice as closely as possible.

Teachers

According to the guidelines, current evidence from Public Health England (PHE) and the Department for Health and Social Care advise that schools are “not currently considered high-risk settings when compared to other workplace environments.” Teachers are therefore expected to return to work without exception. In partnership with charities, the government will make resources available for students and teachers experiencing anxiety about the virus.

For previously shielding teachers this will feel like a huge adjustment to be back in work and surrounded by large groups of children.

In his virtual speech, Roach criticised the lack of consideration for teachers saying: “if we are serious in applauding the efforts of teachers who play such a vital role in our children’s futures, we also need a new deal for teachers, too.”

How is the rest of the world handling education?

In Great Britain, England, Wales and Ireland have all taken slightly different approaches to a return to school. As of June 29th schools in Wales began a phased return, year groups are split into cohorts so that, at most, only a third of pupils are present in school at any one time. In Scotland, schools will reopen on the 11th August. Many of the guidelines are similar to those in England, but with an emphasised focus on testing teachers and staff.

Across the globe, approaches to education have varied more drastically. Taiwan, Nicaragua and Sweden never closed their schools. In Germany, masks are mandatory in hallways and bathrooms; Austria followed suit but soon disregarded masks. In Bangladesh and The Philippines, schools are closed until a vaccine is available.

Countries like Mexico, Afghanistan and the US are also planning for autumn 2020 re-openings. Schools in China and South Korea are already opened, using extensive temperature checking systems for students. Unlike the UK who are focusing on test and trace, any school in South Korea with symptoms is expected to immediately shutdown and switch to virtual classes for two weeks.