Schools: Coronavirus

(asked on 21st January 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) consistency of the curriculum and (b) the quality of pupils' education during January 2021 covid-19 lockdown.


Answered by
Nick Gibb Portrait
Nick Gibb
This question was answered on 29th January 2021

It is critically important to ensure that all children and young people continue to learn during the national lockdown. That is why we have updated the expectations for schools to clarify and strengthen what is expected during the period of restricted attendance and drawing on our evolving understanding of best practice in remote education. Further details on best practice can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak#section-5-contingency-planning-for-outbreaks.

With most children now being taught remotely and schools and colleges having made huge progress in developing their remote education provision, it is right that we have high expectations on what remote education they receive. The number of hours expected for different age groups has changed. Hours include either recorded or live direct teaching alongside time for pupils to work independently to complete assignments that have been set. Schools are now expected to provide, as a minimum:

  • 3 hours a day for KS1, on average across the cohort with less for younger children
  • 4 hours a day for KS2
  • 5 hours a day for KS3 and KS4

Schools are also expected to have a system in place for checking on a daily basis whether pupils are engaging actively with their work. Schools will need to work with families to identify swiftly where pupil engagement is a concern and find effective solutions.

Schools and colleges are expected to teach a planned and well sequenced remote curriculum, and to consider how to transfer into remote education what we already know about effective teaching in the classroom. This includes, for example: providing clear explanations of new content; providing opportunities for interactivity and reflective discussion; and using assessment to ensure teaching is responsive to pupils’ and students’ needs. Schools need to be confident that pupils are taught the necessary knowledge and skills required for them to progress through the curriculum as expected. We also expect schools and colleges to identify a senior leader with overall responsibility for remote education provision. This role would include responsibility for reviewing the school or college’s remote education offer and ensuring that school and college policies are in place to effectively meet the remote education expectations.

A comprehensive package of support continues to be available to schools and colleges to help them meet these expectations which can be accessed via our get help with remote education page: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/get-help-with-remote-education. This includes helping schools and colleges to access technology that supports remote education, as well as peer-to-peer training and guidance on how to use technology effectively. It also includes practical tools, a good practice guide and school-led webinars to support effective delivery of the curriculum. Information is also available on issues such as safeguarding, statutory duties and expectations, supporting pupils and students with special educational needs and disabilities, and recovery and catch up to stop pupils and students falling behind.

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