How the coronavirus will affect Peterborough’s schools

Many of you will have heard the news that Friday 20th was the last day that schools will be opening for some time. In reality, it’s anything but. For many families, yes, it was the last day for schools, but there are many activities still on the go.

So what’s the situation? We all know that with the outbreak of Covid-19 the Government’s approach has been to try to keep schools open for as long as possible to ensure that those people working in the frontline services can be doing their jobs, rather than be at home looking after their children.

That all changed with the decision taken by the Secretary of State for Education Gavin Williamson that schools would close to the majority of students from the end of 20th March.

Alongside that, however, was the decision for schools to remain open for the children of key workers, in itself a fairly expansive list, which means there will still be a good number of children attending most schools in Peterborough for the weeks and months ahead.

So, contrary to all schools closing, many are staying open and, not only that, but actually extending their provision for over the Easter holidays.

The Government has also announced that this year’s exams won’t happen; GCSEs and A Levels won’t be taken – with Ofqual (Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation) supporting that decision.

But like many decisions that have had to be taken rapidly, as of now, grades will be produced based on mock exam results and teacher assessments – but with all things new, watch this space!

One of the biggest challenges for schools over the last few weeks is that government announcements haven’t been made with any prior warning. So, often, parents reading the news online or seeing it on TV are receiving the updates at exactly the same time as school leaders.

That’s a real frustration. Certainly there’s the view amongst all of us involved in education, locally and nationally, that a little more forward planning and communication would allow everyone to be better coordinated in responding to and supporting the decisions taken.

As it stands, schools will be closed for some. But for many, they will still be open. Teachers will still be looking after our most vulnerable children and the children of key workers. They’ll be busy providing online work and support for those children at home.

For families of primary school pupils my advice is to head to school websites for downloadable resources and activities. For young people in secondary schools, alongside those resources are interactive portals used to provide testing, assessment and ongoing learning. In addition, we’re also mindful of those children who don’t have access to technology, so there will be physical resources made available too by many schools.

All of those aside, encouraging reading, discussion and communication and creative activities will always be a positive starting point while caring for our children at home.

Not everything in schools is about learning and outcomes; our responsibility is also to nurture the health and welfare of our young people. So schools are also busy distributing food and vouchers for our free school meals children, while continuing to check on and safeguard our most vulnerable families.

Wellbeing is at the heart, not just for our young people, but also for our teaching and support staff who now will be working over the coming weeks to reschedule plans for an Easter break that, for many, will no longer happen.

Times like these act as a stark reminder of how much we depend on those working in our frontline services – whether it be health, fire, police, or in this case, education: the most important frontline service supporting our families and communities.

Right now, the school leadership teams across Peterborough are showing amazing resilience and determination to ensure they can play their part to support everyone. I absolutely commend their efforts and passion in doing the best for our students and families.

This is a worrying time, but out of it comes a spirit of teamwork and effort. School leaders across the city are collaborating to make sure they can provide the most complete service, while at the same time experiencing staff shortages due to the need for self-isolation and those with health conditions that require them to be away from the frontline of education.

Hopefully, in my next article I’ll be able to provide you with some more positive news, not only about how we are coping across the city, but also our plans for the coming months.

You can find Al on Twitter at @AlKingsley_edu.