Column: with North Primary School headteacher Alan Garnett

Monday, February 1

WEEK five of Lockdown 3. The percentage of children in school hovers around 16%. It was slightly above the national (England) average but that has crept up to the same figure. Infection rates are falling but still higher than in November, during Lockdown 2.

There continues to be a lot of talk in the national media about the impact of remote learning on “disadvantaged” pupils. In other words, the thinking is that the attainment gap is growing. Changes in funding rules will not help this. Up until this year the Pupil Premium Grant (the additional money schools receive, principally based on the number of children on roll who are registered for free school meals, to accelerate the progress of the disadvantaged pupils) was calculated using numbers from the January census. This year, the Government is calculating the grant for the financial year 2021-2022 taking the numbers from the October census. This will have a negative impact on all schools because during the pandemic the number of families falling into poverty has risen. So at North, our PP numbers have grown from 79 to 85 between the two census days. PP is funded at £1,345 per pupil, which is £8,000 that we would have received had the rules not changed. Local authorities and unions are lobbying the Government’s decision. Let us hope they are successful and the Government has a rethink.

A first this afternoon. One of the home learners of the week moved schools during Lockdown 3 and has never been to North and never met her teacher! How strange must that feel for her. It was lovely to chat with her and her mum.

Tuesday, February 2

THERE has been a development in the arrangements for the Year 6 annual residential trip to Osmington Bay, Weymouth. The children should have gone last September but that was rescheduled to this coming April. We are planning for the trip to go ahead while waiting for the Government to make an announcement about these types of trips later this month. The more time we have between the present and the actual trip the more likely it is that the trip will be allowed to go ahead. So, at no extra cost to the parents, trip organiser Mrs Walker has moved the date to as late as possible in the summer term. It has not been moved that far back but those few weeks could make all the difference. Let’s hope the vaccine programme, the weather and the falling R rate will enable this trip to go ahead. This year, more than ever, our Year 6s need this kind of experience.

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Wednesday, February 3

YESTERDAY, the DfE updated its guidance on covid-secure measures. Tighter measures for close contacts of symptomatic and positive cases have been introduced. The guidance also makes it clearer that schools decide if a child is classed as “vulnerable” and not the parent.

Out of the blue I received an email from Alex Bedford, an education consultant who worked with the school. He is about to publish his latest book - “I've written a few words about how I was inspired by the first pupil who took part – Abigail. I wanted to check that it was okay to mention her and dedicate the book to her.” Abigail died two years ago. At her memorial service in school I played the clip of Alex interviewing Abigail when she was seven. It was a magical interview and I can see why it would have made such an impression on Alex. I email Abigail’s parents and they give their permission.

Thursday, February 4

THE day begins with top-up training on safer recruitment procedures. I have to do this every three years. I do a home visit in the afternoon and end the day attending a multi-agency Teams meeting about another family.

New role - Sir Kevan Collins

Friday, February 5

SIR Kevan Collins has been appointed as the Government’s “education recovery commissioner”. I heard him speak at an Essex primary headteacher event a few years ago when he was head of the Education Endowment Fund. He was very impressive. I wonder what his plans will look like and whether he has a view on changes to pupil premium funding. The PM has talked about summer schools. This has not gone down well in my house. My youngest daughter’s response is – “great, the last thing kids want when we get our summer back is to go to school or college!” I see her point. Surely we can do better than this kind of catch-up recovery programme for our children. There is so much talk about the damage being done to the children’s mental health and yet thinking seems to be limited to rolling out cramming schools. And why do they need to catch up? What is the rush? These children will be working for 50+ years. Let’s keep the children in school for an extra year and re-energise the early years’ sector. This sector, which the Government is rightly quoted as calling “vital” and “crucial”, has been hammered by Covid and years of underfunding. Let’s have a long-term vision for recovery. Invest in the early years, grow the sector and get our four-year-olds to start school a year later. Do that and maybe there will not be such wide attainment gap when the children start school. I really hope Sir Kevan will be given the licence to build a long-term vision and not be restricted to throwing money at a short-term, short-sighted bodge.