Ofsted’s latest Covid-19 school briefing, October 2020
Here you’ll find excerpts from the ‘Evidence from pilot visits to schools between 29 September and 23 October 2020’. The full report is here.
“Leaders continued to mention that some pupils had gained weight or that physical fitness has declined. As a result, many schools are making PE a priority, for example by extending PE lessons or encouraging pupils to jog a ‘daily mile’ “.
Main findings of the report
- not all pupils have come back following the first national lockdown.
- attendance rates for those who have come back are comparable to normal for this time of year
- attendance is now being affected by groups of pupils having to self-isolate
Leaders said that they were making some adaptations to their curriculum, based on practical considerations, or as a result of pupils having lost learning while not at school, or often both. Leaders were ambitious to return their schools to their usual, full curriculum as soon as possible. They also talked about the many challenges they were facing in keeping their schools safe and open. Leaders said that their pupils were generally happy to be back, and had settled in well. But they were also clear about the changes they had seen in some pupils, including poorer physical and mental health.
Overarching questions
The briefing answers four broad questions based on evidence from the visits:
- What is the current state of children’s school education?
- How have children been affected by schools’ closures to most children?
- How are schools planning to maintain standards in education through the pandemic?
- What are schools doing with their COVID-19 catch-up funding?
Here are some of the more useful excerpts.
The current state of children’s school education – returning to school
Many schools of all types reported a greater focus than usual on their personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum to develop aspects such as resilience and independence and to reinforce or improve learning behaviours, but also to address pupils’ anxieties.
Some schools were also strengthening their PE provision to support pupils’ physical and mental well-being.
Many of the special schools and AP settings visited were placing a strong emphasis on ‘recovery’ as part of their autumn- term curriculum. In one school, for example, leaders explained how important they thought it was to help pupils to adapt: ‘The world is a different place and we can’t move on like nothing has happened. We need to teach them why these things are important: the rules, what’s on in the news.’
Pupils’ behaviour and social, emotional and physical health
Despite the broadly positive picture, several concerns have emerged: some pupils’ concentration or their mental and physical stamina have reduced. Some leaders said pupils were fatigued, ‘disconnected’ from learning or struggling to stay awake and alert. Even though good behaviour was not just a ‘honeymoon period’ according to some leaders, others have perceived deterioration in pupils’ behaviour and willingness to follow rules compared with when they first returned to school in September. In some schools, leaders reported an increase in anti-social behaviour and/or aggression. These dips in behaviour were attributed in some cases to having experienced domestic violence, trauma and mental health issues at home while the schools were closed to most children.
Leaders attributed certain issues with behaviour and anxiety to pupils’ use of social media. For example, leaders explained how some pupils had fallen out with each other through social media during the first national lockdown, and said that these issues were continuing now pupils were back at school. Other pupils had not had any access to social media at all during this period, which had led to them feeling isolated from their peers and out of step with them now they were back at school. Time spent video gaming was also seen a factor that was influencing some boys’ behaviour in particular.
In terms of mental well-being, leaders across several schools reported increased cases of pupils self-harming, mainly over the period when schools were closed to most pupils. Some also noted that more pupils were suffering from eating disorders, many of whom had not previously been identified as vulnerable. In terms of social well-being, some younger pupils in primary schools were experiencing increased attachment to their parents or home as a result of being at home for so long. Some had also lost elements of independence, for example forgetting how to use a knife and fork. Leaders say that some pupils were struggling to interact with their peers due to prolonged isolation and need to relearn how to maintain friendships. This was further compounded by class or year-group bubble restrictions, which mean that pupils cannot socialise as they typically would.
Leaders continued to mention that some pupils had gained weight or that physical fitness has declined.
As a result, many schools are making PE a priority, for example by extending PE lessons or encouraging pupils to jog a ‘daily mile’.
The full report is here.
