Children must not become lost to coronavirus, local head teacher speaks out

By Susie Watkins

6th May 2021 | Local News

A stock image of a child studying. Permission for use by all partners.
A stock image of a child studying. Permission for use by all partners.

Local parents and teachers are calling for urgent changes so today's pupils are not a lost "Covid generation".

Speaking ahead of a national debate on the future of education, members of the NAHT school leaders union said the pandemic had exposed huge inequalities in a "high stress, test-led" system that was already broken.

Mums said children were learning too much that was not relevant and appealed for the flexibility afforded by home schooling to continue.

Headteacher Nicki Smith, the president of the Bath and North East Somerset branch of the NAHT and Radstock headmistress, told the meeting on April 29: "It's all about keeping the children central and making sure they don't become known as the Covid generation.

"I can't bear the word catchup – it's about giving the children back their childhood and ensuring we do everything we can to ensure the system fits where they are now rather than trying to make these children fit into a system that doesn't work for them."

She added: "Children only get one shot at education. We've all got to ensure that education counts."

Kevin Burnett, the local NAHT branch secretary, said the current "high stress, test-led system narrows the curriculum and leaves out so many children" and the pandemic had highlighted "huge inequalities".

He said NAHT's national Turn the Page debate, which was held on May 1, was a chance to understand what parents want for their children and how the post-pandemic recovery can change education.

Tamsin, from a Bath and North East Somerset parents group, said homeschooling had shown parents that children were being given too much to do and much of it was not relevant, while mum-of-two Sophie said the pandemic had given parents a new-found admiration for teachers.

She said homeschooling had been "horrendous" for some children but others had benefited from being able to learn at times that suited them, adding: "We'd benefit from a lot more flexible approach. A lot more outside time and space. We aren't helping every single child only doing it one way."

She said with "the whole world in trouble" asking for more funding it may be difficult but NAHT national secretary Rob Kelsall warned against becoming "so downtrodden by the fact the nation is in such a parlous state that we can't invest in young people".

He said the government had claimed to prioritise education but failed to deliver, and before the pandemic schools were facing the biggest per-pupil funding cuts in decades.

"Covid has held a magnifying glass up to the problems that existed long before the pandemic hit," added Mr Kelsall.

"We've got to take the opportunity to reshape and refocus education. We've got to make our voices heard in the corridors of Westminster."

Bath MP Wera Hobhouse, a parent and former teacher, also joined the meeting. She said: "It's not just schools that are affected by Covid. We all are. We're all traumatised in some shape or form.

"For young children it's been particularly difficult. For them a year out of their lives is so much more than for us grown-ups."

She said while the pandemic had opened up wide inequalities, it also offered the chance to re-evaluate the role of schools and education.

"We have a one size fits all approach," said Mrs Hobhouse. "Children need individualised teaching. That becomes incredibly hard the bigger the class sizes are. If we're committed to the future of our children then asking for resources to make it happen isn't necessarily the wrong call."

The debate on May 1 called for a focus on mental health, a forward-thinking curriculum and assessment, and long-term investment.

     

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