Covid-19: Educational Settings

Lord Storey Excerpts

Thursday 7th January 2021 Lords Chamber

[Lord Storey (LD) [V]]

My Lords, I thank the Minister for the Statement. The best place for children to learn is in school. It is a tragedy that the virulence of Covid-19 has forced us to close all our schools.

The past six months have seen constant periods of year groups quarantining in school and outbreaks of Covid forcing schools to close. There have been very few weeks when a whole school has been present. The effect on children’s learning, particularly those from disadvantaged circumstances, has been devastating.

School leaders, teachers and sports staff have been under enormous pressure. They have had to respond to every new demand and every new change. At times, they have struggled to keep going. It is not an exaggeration to say that, every single day, they have been putting their own lives and welfare at risk. It therefore shocks me, nay saddens me, that given everything that school staff have faced—the U-turns, the opening and closing of schools, exams on, exams off, starting virtual lessons from scratch and testing regimes—we are now threatening them with Ofsted if there are complaints about their virtual learning provision. At times, staff were literally on their knees. At the very least, they deserve our thanks and support.

For the vast majority of children and young people, online learning will support their educational development. It is vulnerable pupils and those on pupil premium who are most at risk. It is laudable that laptops are increasingly being made available for virtual learning at home, but this cannot take place if a family cannot afford the cost of internet provision and the monthly payments.

It is absolutely right that GCSEs and A-levels should be examined by teacher assessment, with presumably some form of moderation. Can the Minister assure us that the guidance to schools will take into account the amount of teaching that has taken place and the difficulties that some pupils will face, particularly, again, vulnerable pupils?

I have a few key questions for the Minister. First, as the noble Lord, Lord Watson, asked, will the Government ensure that school staff are a priority for vaccination? Secondly, will the Government publish quality standards for each online lesson and what the sanctions will be if online lessons require improvement? Thirdly, can the Government guarantee that free school meals will be immediately available to children of parents who lose their jobs? Finally, how will pupils who are excluded from school, either for a fixed term or permanently, cope? Presumably, we should consider reinstating them on the rolls of their existing school. While I am talking about children not in school, can the Minister enlighten us as to why the DfE educational settings status portal has been taken down?

This is a difficult time for schools, for parents and for children and young people, particularly those in difficult circumstances. Might the Government consider a Covid pupil premium for vulnerable children which would last for the lifetime of this Parliament?