Director of Community and Children’s Services to be heard.
Minutes:
Members received a report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services regarding the New Normal: Schooling after COVID-19. The following matters were raised in presentation:
· The City Family of Schools were planning to open in September 2020 with a full cohort of pupils and staff. The aim was to provide a broad and balanced curriculum and there would be an encouragement to resume school trips within local areas.
· Schools would plan for closures and re-openings if there were any local COVID outbreaks, there would also be a hybrid offer if some pupils needed to learn remotely due to school or part of the school needing to re-close.
· Adult education and apprenticeships were being delivered online and this moves into a hybrid model of online and face to face tuition from the commencement of the new academic year.
· Risk assurance training would be issued in September.
· Members were particularly concerned about the most disadvantaged children who were likely to have received less home schooling during the lockdown period.
· An independent review had been commissioned into the new normal: schooling after COVID-19.
· Following questions from Members, the Board was reassured that comprehensive training would be available for teachers around safety. There had also been a considerable amount of additional resource from the Department for Education on mental health support for both children and teachers, with more to come in due course.
· Key areas of focus for COLAT were providing curriculum catch-up and preparations for hybrid learning. Schools’ provision of hybrid learning had increased, and a substantial programme would be delivered to children in isolation, with an expectation that all children participate in timetabled online provision if school needs to re-close at any time
· A query was raised on the Education Board’s involvement, if any, with the Chair of Policy & Resources work on COVID-19 Hidden Heroes. This would be explored outside of the meeting.
· The final report of the independent review into the new normal: schooling after COVID-19 would come to the Board for consideration in the autumn.
RESOLVED, that the report be noted.
Supporting documents: