Dear colleagues, 

Welcome to the first edition of Heads Up of 2021. For those of you that I didn’t see on the Education Leaders call this morning, here’s to a better year.

That seems a rather incongruous greeting given the start to 2021 that we have had.  We were aware that the first weeks of the year would be difficult, but the speed of this week’s events could not have been foreseen. So, I want to start with the mindset that, whilst the coming weeks will be very challenging, we do have the prospect of light at the end of the tunnel and we must not lose sight of that. However, we have now entered national lockdown again and obviously, unlike the second lockdown of November, this does include schools and further education settings.

Once again, we will be ensuring provision for our vulnerable children and children of critical workers.  The definition of critical workers is in national guidance and our offer is clear that, if a family has one parent who is defined as a critical worker, even if they are part-time, their child or children will be entitled to take a place in their school setting.

There is the possibility of a greater take up of places in schools during this lockdown and higher attendance levels may place increased pressure on schools. In remaining open for these children and young people, it remains critical that you keep your risk assessments up to date and aligned with appropriate government guidance and that they are published on your websites.

The issue of Lateral Flow Device (LFD) testing has also been raised this week, with questions being asked as to whether lockdown meant that this would now proceed as planned and to the same timescale.  The simple answer is yes to both questions.  There is still the expectation and hope that all schools and settings with secondary age pupils and students will continue with their planning. The switch to remote learning and pupils working from home does mean that there is a little more time to get your planning for roll out absolutely right, rather than delay in preparation.  As I have stressed in separate bulletins, we will be supporting all schools which are undertaking this important rapid testing process in any way that we can.

This first week has thrown up a lot of questions as we work through the plethora of government guidance issued, and we are still seeking clarity on a number of key areas. We are clear that there will be no SATs; nor will there be GCSE or A/AS Level examinations. We know that there will be government support around the provision of Free School Meals as well as laptops. We await the guidance on these points and will share updates with you in the coming days.

Remaining at home during the lockdown will see the ramping up once more of remote learning.  We can draw here on much of the work that we did over the course of the first lockdown and use the range of resources that were found and quality assured. Ofsted have been given the role of checking remote learning where necessary, not only its quality but also its quantity with three to five hours of learning being mandated, as it is in school settings.

As ever, one of our primary concerns at the county council is the wellbeing of you and your staff. We know that the autumn term was very exhausting and that this term has started in a very challenging way. Please take some time to relax this weekend and to recharge.

One of the things that marked the first lockdown was the presence in the windows of people’s houses of drawings of rainbows done by children. Many people were lifted by the sight of these as they went about their walks. Children do have the power to raise spirits so I will close with a plea. Within this edition you will see that the county is looking to start a campaign – ‘Show you care’ – which aims to collectively lift morale drawing on children’s wonderful gifts.  Please add the drawing and colouring in of hearts to your remote learning offer so that our youngsters can play a huge part, once again, in keeping a smile on people’s faces and helping us through what will undoubtedly be difficult weeks.  

Take care.

Ian