Oral Report of the Director of Education and Skills
Minutes:
The Education and Children’s Services Scrutiny Board (2) received a presentation of the Director of Education and Skills that informed Members of the Impact of Covid-19 on Schools.
The Cabinet Member for Education and Skills and the Director of Education and Skills began by thanking all staff, and parents and carers working with young people during this difficult time. A reassurance was given that parents were not expected to be school teachers but working together with schools to keep young people motivated was beneficial for all.
The presentation detailed the following:
· The current position
· The COVID-19 Journey
· Partnership principals
· The positives including, the joined-up approach and Local Authority support
· The Challenges
Also present was Head Teacher Paul Green, who had been invited to the meeting by the Chair, Councillor Sandhu to support the discussions. Mr Green emphasised that he had experienced the strength of the Coventry Partnership collaboration and supportive schools’ network which had been valuable through this new experience. Mr Green was keen to ensure that some positives were maintained in schools in the future, such as increased confidence with using technology, other ‘Covid keeps’ were being investigated.
It was also recognised that Coventry had been commended by the DfE for providing a collective voice. The business case for vaccinations of staff in special schools to support high risk situations had also been valuable.
Challenges discussed included:
· Frequent changes to guidance at short notice
· Gaps in learning
· The safety of vulnerable pupils
· Balancing risks to public health and loss of education
· Staff were managing onsite learning, remote learning, track and trace, lateral flow tests and new examination processes
· Ofsted assessments
· Financial impacts
· Electronic devices and internet access
The Board also thanked staff on behalf of the citizens of Coventry, for their enthusiasm, commitment and hard work and were pleased that despite the web of complexities there had been benefits identified in this very difficult time which could support young people in their futures.
The Board questioned officers, received responses, and discussed the following issues:
· Contact with vulnerable children and families
· Home learning on laptops and internet access
· Covid funding and catch-up support for gaps in learning
· Tests
· Signs of safety
· Parental anxiety about home schooling
· Mental health support in schools
Officers noted that it was a choice offered to families of vulnerable children to attend school, contact had been made with identified families as directed by national guidance. Technology and internet access had been a significant challenge and creative thinking had been encouraged including, sharing information with parents about access through devises they may have other than laptops such as games consoles. Also blended learning i.e. some ‘live’ lessons and some independent directed work set to support families with multiple siblings and one device. Opportunities for supporting catching up needed to be explored once gaps had been identified. Signs of safety were not as evident to staff as when schools were open fully and there had been evidence of hidden harm following schools opening back up during the Covid journey and opening back up following a full lockdown. Parents were urged to contact schools if they felt anxious at all about home schooling and officers again thanked parents for working in partnership with schools and encouraging young people to engage in learning during this difficult time.
Officers agreed to look into whether recorded lessons could be transferred to DVD to increase access for those without internet connection. Officers also agreed to circulate further information to the Scrutiny Board about how many vulnerable children were in schools.
RESOLVED that, The Education and Children’s Services Scrutiny Board (2) noted the detailed presentation which updated members on the Impact of Covid-19 on Schools and requested that a letter be sent on behalf of the Board to thank all staff for their hard work and commitment particularly during this challenging time.