NAHT is calling on the government to address our priorities for a fair and safe recovery for young people and their schools.
Education now needs to be about recovery, and we need to see improvements in these five key areas:
- Funding (covid-related and long-term)
- Health and well-being (including covid safety and mental health)
- Curriculum and assessment
- Accountability and inspection
- Recruitment and retention
We are calling on the government to:
1. Do more to protect all members of the school community – for example increasing school safety measures, particularly around key issues such as ventilation.
2. Suspend routine inspections for at least the rest of the academic year and then work with the profession to plan a fair and proportionate accountability system for the long term.
3. Fully reimburse schools for all covid-related costs and lost income, ensuring nurseries receive the full funding they are entitled to and protecting provision for pupils with SEND.
4. Give schools the freedom to implement an approach to online learning that works for their communities.
5. Work with the profession to consider the impact of covid-19 on primary statutory assessments, secondary qualifications, and related performance data in 2022 and beyond.
6. Urgently provide vital additional resources to support the mental health of both pupils and staff.
7. Act now to address the recruitment and retention crisis among teachers and leaders – covid-19 must not be used as a reason to impose a real-terms pay cut.
You can also read a summary of key conditions for schools in Wales and further detail on our policy positions for Wales can be read here and a translated version here.
Our campaign toolkit is here and you can read advice on political campaigning for schools here.
We have also outlined our key conditions for schools in Northern Ireland.
If you would like to get more involved in this campaign as one of our officials then please click here.
First published 26 March 2021