Coronavirus: One in five schools report ‘significant’ absences due to Covid-19

Figures from a National Education Union (NEU) survey of almost 5,500 members reveal that 80 per cent of respondents report pupil absences and 70 per cent report staff shortages because of self-isolating and/or a lack of tests. Twenty per cent of schools have ‘significant’ pupil absence and 19 per cent have sent a whole bubble home.

Prioritising pupils and staff for Covid-19 testing is ‘absolutely key’ to keeping schools open and was the top priority for 74 per cent of respondents.

When asked if staff shortages would lead to difficulties for their school when trying to maintain sufficient staff levels, almost half of respondents (47 per cent) said that it was an imminent problem for their school and more than one in ten (11 per cent) described it as an existing problem.

Commenting on the results of the survey, Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the NEU, said, ‘School and college staff are doing everything they can to keep schools open for all pupils, but the Government is not pulling its weight. Our survey shows all too clearly that a lack of access to testing and the disruption of self-isolation, often due to the lack of a test result, is undermining the ability of schools to maintain fully-staffed on-site learning for all those who need it. The results also show an imminent danger that this problem will become very widespread indeed.’

Lack of trust

The survey also revealed the sector’s lack trust in the Government to keep schools open and safe through Covid-19:  84 per cent of respondents said they do not trust the Government to keep schools safe; to protect workers; to listen to the profession; to support vulnerable or disadvantaged children, or to ensure exams and assessment are fit for purpose during Covid.

Mr Courtney said, ‘It is clear the Government has completely lost the trust of school leaders, teachers and school staff. This is no surprise. Boris Johnson’s promises have regularly been exposed as bluster, while Gavin Williamson’s mismanagement not just of guidance to schools but also this year’s exams results has been dizzyingly poor.’

He added, ‘The message from our members is clear. Schools kept their side of the bargain in getting schools open this September; it is time for the Government to keep theirs.’

Hardship

A striking 51 per cent of respondents confirmed that families in their school community are facing a ‘significant increase’ in hardship since the start of lockdown in March.

When these results were cross-referenced with a question on remote learning, it became clear that there is a significant issue. Among members witnessing an increase in hardship at their school, just 17 per cent believe that more than three-quarters of their full pupil intake are prepared for remote learning. This was sharply different to those who were not seeing an increase in hardship, where the preparedness of more than three-quarters of pupils at their school stood at 48 per cent.

The Government announced on 1 October new expectations on ‘consistent remote education’ for schools, along with 100,000 extra devices for children most in need if they are required to learn at home, and increased peer-to-peer support for teachers.

The Department for Education said that extra devices will be available to support: disadvantaged children in Years 3-11 who do not already have access to a device; disadvantaged, clinically extremely vulnerable children of all year groups who are unable to return to school, and children in all year groups unable to access remote education whilst attending a hospital school.

Funding

The cost of covering staff absences due to Covid is ‘rapidly eroding away reserves’ and putting wider educational spending at risk, the NEU survey report states.

Only 4 per cent of respondents believe that their school has enough money to sustain Covid-security for the next six months and a further 29 per cent are certain that they cannot survive on current funds. More than half of leadership members surveyed (52 per cent) could not say for sure if they would be able to sustain spending on Covid safety for the next six months.

The online survey was conducted between 29 September and 1 October 2020, in the run-up to a special conference of the NEU online (held on Saturday), focusing on the most critical issues facing the profession. The three motions read looked at health and safety and workload pressures under Covid and the shape of examinations and assessment into 2021.

Of the 5,451 members who responded, 50 per cent work in the primary sector, 44 per cent in the secondary sector and 4 per cent in early years.