Hundreds off school first week after break
AT LEAST 1,000 pupils will not be returning to school after the half-term break in Derby today because of staff shortages due to teachers having to self-isolate.
Whole year groups have been told to stay at home for at least another week as the Government comes under pressure about its decision to keep schools open during the new lockdown.
The country’s leading teaching union, the NEU, wants to shut schools – and even head teachers, who believe they should stay open, say they are facing a very difficult period.
Among the schools affected is St Benedict Catholic Academy, where years 11, 12 and 13 have been told to stay at home this week.
AT least 1,000 pupils across Derby will start lessons from home after their half-term, owing to staff shortages in some city schools.
This has forced head teachers to tell whole year groups to stay at home on health and safety grounds.
And the continued uncertainty about when pupils and teachers will need to self-isolate between now and Christmas could increasingly put pressure on the Prime Minister’s decision to keep schools open during the forthcoming lockdown.
It will also give added support to the country’s leading teaching union – the NEU – which wants the Government to close schools during the lockdown, which starts on Thursday.
But even head teachers who believe schools should remain open have been forced to admit things could get difficult and they could be forced to operate a rota system for pupils to attend if staff and pupil numbers are decimated.
Among the Derby schools which have asked pupils to remain at home this week are St Benedict Catholic Academy in Darley Abbey and Derby Moor Academy in Littleover.
Kevin Gritton, head teacher at St Benedict, has written to parents to confirm that years 11, 12 and 13 will study from home this coming week.
He wrote: “There have been a small number of cases among our older pupils which have required all contacts of these pupils to isolate at home.
“As a consequence, there are likely to be significantly reduced numbers of these pupils in school next week so it makes sense to ask all of years 11, 12 and 13 study from home next week and work will be set for them online, in keeping with the remote learning procedures we have in place.
“We are obviously ously loathe to ask any pupils to study from home, particularly those in examination groups, however we will ensure that work is set for these pupils which enables them to still complete good quality work from home.
“This will build on the work completed last half-term when these groups attended throughout the whole half-term and attendance was very high.”
Mr Gritton said that the plan was “to open fully to all pupils in years seven, eight and nine” but he was still to make a final decision about Year 10.
He added: “The reason the situation is changing quite rapidly is down to the number of staff who have been directed to isolate.
“I am currently receiving several daily emails from colleagues who have been directed to remain at
I am currently receiving several daily emails from colleagues who have been directed to remain at home. Kevin Gritton
home throughout next week for f a variety of reasons.”
“I appreciate that this is a difficult situation for parents and carers and we would like to thank them for their patience and understanding.”
At Derby Moor Academy head teacher Scott Doyle has also written to parents to tell them years eight and nine will remain at home this week and will be provided with work.
He said: “We have not taken this decision lightly. Over the half term break we have had multiple positive cases reported to us from within our community that have resulted in further requirements for isolation.
“This has impacted on our staff numbers and our ability to operate safely at full capacity.
“We will do all that we can to have all year groups returning to school on November 9 but this will, of course, remain under review.
“Remaining years will attend as usual and face coverings are now essential for all students while they move around the school.”
Neil Calvert is chief executive of the Northworthy Trust, which includes Lees Brook Community School, Chaddesden, Long Eaton School and Merrill Academy in Alvaston.
He said each school had a full year group isolating in the run up to the half-term break and some will still need to remain home for a few days this week.
“We have been made aware of four new cases over the half term break and we may well learn of more on Monday.
“So far this term we have had a total 23 confirmed cases across the three schools – 20 students and three members of staff.
“Thankfully in many cases it has been possible to identify just a small group of people who qualify as close contacts, so it has often not been necessary for whole year groups to self-isolate.
“Staff absence has increased gradually since September as colleagues have been required to self-isolate due to either a test and trace contact or someone in the household having symptoms.
“In the week just before half term this did reach a level where it was necessary to ask three year groups to each work at home on one day, at Long Eaton only.”
Mr Calvert said he was not sure how the latest lockdown would affect the schools. He said: “We await updated guidance from the Department for Education, and until we receive that I am uncertain about the extent to which our day-to-day provision might be affected.
“All schools were asked in late August to prepare for educational Tier 2 restrictions which, if implemented, would require year groups of students to attend school on a fortnightly basis, with remote learning being provided at the times they were not in school.
“This would mean that only 50% of students would be in school at any time. We have developed Tier 2 plans for all three schools which could now be put into action at short notice.
“However, there is no indication that this is being considered by the Government at the moment. As it stands we expect to remain open as planned for the remainder of the autumn term.”
Staff are expected to wear visors at Allestree Woodlands School and head teacher Gemma Penny says she only has one member of staff self-isolating currently.
She said: “We expect staff to maintain social distance and not carsharing, for example, as a way to try to avoid unnecessary isolations that might come from the school setting.
“So far, this has been successful
although I recognise that we are in for some challenging times this term. Our strict seating plans have enabled us to identify students who may have been in close contact with a confirmed case and ensure that they are not in school. We believe this has worked well as we don’t seem to have had any cases of Covid being transmitted through the school setting to date.”
Mrs Penny is in favour of schools staying open but she realises it will create some uncertainty for families, who she says are hearing quite different messages about safety when their children are in a school context and when they are anywhere else.
She said: “I also think we will need to see how things unfold as it will be increasingly likely that school will have to introduce rota systems if staff absence and numbers of students self-isolating increase.
“Schools are doing all they can to deal with this situation and meet the needs of their community but the pressure that is putting on everyone involved cannot be underestimated.
“It would be very helpful to have some clarity from the government about what those who were previously shielding need to do; staff in schools are in daily contact with hundreds of students and other adults.
“Even with face masks, visors, hand hygiene and social distancing, there is a real worry about the level of risk to these individuals and I think we have to expect more detail on this to support our clinically vulnerable or extremely vulnerable staff.”
David Blackwell is chief executive of the Odyssey Collaborative Trust, which includes Asterdale Primary, Borrow Wood Primary, Beaufort Primary School, Springfield Primary and Portway Junior. He said all the schools were preparing to return today with no major staffing shortages reported.
Mr Blackwell said: “However, with the exponential rise in cases of coronavirus across the region, I would anticipate that there will be challenges to overcome during the course of this month, in terms of staff absence, affecting the capacity of schools to remain fully operational.
“I welcome the decision to keep schools open, because further closures would negatively impact on the recovery and catch-up learning curriculum that schools are currently in the process of implementing.
“I can foresee difficulties arising fairly quickly, as staff or pupils either receive positive tests, or have to selfisolate. However, in the event of individual pupils, year groups, bubbles, or even the whole school having to close, remote learning arrangements are in-place for pupils to continue to fully access their learning.
“But as with many things at the moment, our schools will continue to evaluate and modify their provision on a daily basis.”