Our team sorts through all blog submissions to place them in the categories they fit the most - meaning it's never been simpler to gain advice and new knowledge for topics most important for you. This is why we have created this straight-forward guide to help you navigate our system.
And there you have it! Now your collection of blogs are catered to your chosen topics and are ready for you to explore. Plus, if you frequently return to the same categories you can bookmark your current URL and we will save your choices on return. Happy Reading!
As more pupils begin to return to school after Lockdown, Joe Denny worries what advice the Government are following. He has great concern for his pupils who are mainly BAME and are at a higher risk according to SAGE advice.
From Monday (June 1st, 2020), schools across the UK will begin to allow more pupils to return. Headteachers and Senior Leadership Teams have worked day and night to absorb the glut of Government guidance, plan the safe reintroduction of some pupils to the classroom and communicate those plans to staff, parents and carers.
I have closely followed the contributions from scientists in search of reassurance throughout the lockdown, from Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Scientific Advisor Sir Patrick Vallance and other members of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) advising the Government, to those involved in medical trials in search of a vaccine and those involved in the collection and distribution of data. I find science refreshingly honest and its conclusions trustworthy in a way politics can never be.
As such, I was very interested to read the SAGE advice regarding the models for various scenarios which could enable schools to open to greater numbers of pupils. Given the Government has remained committed to “following the science”, I expected to see the advice point to the reintroduction of Early Years, Year 1 and Year 6 as the safest scenario, based on the best available data and consensus among the SAGE members.
What became clear as I read the advice was that the Government’s strategy was actually not one of the options modelled by SAGE. This means we do not know how this model is expected to impact the rate of infection, nor do we know whether the Government has received any advice about it. I submitted a question for the daily briefing last Friday in an attempt to find out more, but unsurprisingly my question was overlooked in favour of further discussion of the actions of Dominic Cummings.
There are numerous points in the SAGE advice which have been completely overlooked in the official guidance to schools. Thankfully, unions have encouraged schools to address some of these. I was particularly startled when I read the following section, which highlights an additional risk to Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people.
“Households with BAME & adolescent or young adult members may create greater susceptibility among children to the virus for different reasons. BAME individuals may be more susceptible because of the greater prevalence of frontline medical and care work.”
All of the 30 pupils in my class are BAME people. Over 90% of the 650 pupils in my school are BAME people, as are a number of school staff. Yet this suggestion of additional susceptibility doesn’t warrant a mention. If I hadn’t read the SAGE advice in full (and I imagine most people have not), I wouldn’t know about it. There has been one newspaper report, from the Guardian, highlighting the issue.
Admittedly, many schools will have smaller numbers of BAME pupils and staff than my school. If, as the advice suggests, the increased risk is linked to the working environments of pupils’ family members, then it doesn’t necessarily apply to everyone of a certain ethnicity. I still believe it is a matter of public interest that people should be informed if they are considered to be at increased risk in the opinion of the top scientists advising the Government. People can then choose to take additional precautions and make informed decisions in terms of allowing their children to return to school.
Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of the NASUWT union, called upon the Government to ensure they meet their statutory duties in terms of the Public Sector Equality Duty and the
Equality Act 2010. In the letter, dated 26th May, Dr Roach called for “urgent clarification” on the matter, “including the need to prevent further discriminatory impacts related to the transmission of the Coronavirus”.
=68.ARC6-hi9YNgBpq7QTqWu3FMpHiRIKTmGHicJcyVCi3DUtj4YT9AYNBG4eHsJwynKvHg7AQz9TAoDMsPbSHpb1gv-JiBtEMBn855Vv5BUzS-KccSzQT_41wLXQVXcdNhUcyIEsi837bRe0TjjclyJGKJ3vIZiRwxiutxO4_cISP9VUZ5JpfTlLHCw4ZmMDRyEvTywPGpY11CSXX0XZF6CHFDGS5ST_zTaeR-pa290d1_Y60TqSvsMcivc_kxeTlWXNnuHITG0VVRLks_kkBZH7ahEnrqwrc02Pn7azW_B-KYpWsSMggQeHlN1cqp2nDfbHAkPIPkCkudPrxTyrsJWCzx-IQ’ link_target=’_blank’ icon=’ue8f3′ font=’entypo-fontello’]
The author
Read more
Read more
Read more
Read more
Read more
Read more
Read more
Read more
Are you looking for solutions? Let us help fund them! Nexus Education is a community of over 11,000 schools that come together to share best practise, ideas and CPD via online channels and free to attend events. Nexus also offers funding to all school groups in the UK via nexus-education.com
Established in 2011, One Education is a company at the heart of the education world, supporting over 600 schools and academies. Our unique appeal as a provider is in the breadth and synergy of the services we offer, supporting school leaders, teachers and support staff to achieve the best possible outcomes for their pupils and staff.
School Space is a social enterprise that has empowered schools for over 12 years through their profitable and hassle-free lettings services. So far, they’ve generated over £5 million in revenue for education, helping to connect over 200 schools with their local communities.
Operoo is a school operations and productivity platform. We help thousands of schools and trusts to eliminate slow, expensive and repetitive tasks. Operoo helps schools streamline and digitise processes, drastically reducing the associated costs: From student pre-admissions, permission forms, payments, and school trips; to medical information and emergency contacts, incident reporting, staff agreements, and more in over 100 languages.
Unify is an online sales and marketing tool that allows users to create tailored personalised documents in moments.
There’s nothing special about the energy we sell. In fact, it’s exactly the same energy as all our competitors provide. But there is something special about the way we do it. Where others complicate the process, we simplify it. Where others confuse customers with hidden terms, we’re an open book. And where others do all they can to make as much money from their customers as possible, we do all we can to make as little. Everything we do, we do it differently. Our customers are a privilege. One we’ll never take advantage of.
Securus provide market-leading monitoring solutions to safeguard students on ALL devices both online and offline. We also offer a full monitoring service, where we carry out the monitoring on behalf of the school, freeing up valuable staff resources. From the smallest school to large MAT groups, Securus offers safeguarding protection for all!
As European leaders of Time Management Solutions, Bodet offer Lockdown, Clock, Bell & PA Systems. Harmonys, our five-in-one IP/PoE Bell System, provides a unique customisable lockdown or panic alarm alert. Melodys, a Wireless Bell System, is useful where wiring can be difficult.