The Education Secretary today faces a growing revolt from Tory MPs over plans to keep schools closed until after Easter – a move which will leave parents and pupils relying on remote learning for months to come.
Gavin Williamson is said to be on the brink of confirming the gloomy outlook, with many head teachers believing a delay until April or even May is most likely.
Writing in today’s Daily Mail, Mr Williamson says he cannot give a date for a return yet – making the launch of the paper’s recent ‘Computer for Kids’ campaign all the more important to ensure ‘learning does not suffer’.
But a source told The Sunday Times: ‘We are in this for the long haul. Although we have not arrived at an exact date when we think schools will go back, it will not be after half-term.’
Other sources said this timeline was ‘speculative’ and that Mr Williamson remained committed to getting children back as soon as the scientific evidence allows.
Meanwhile the education secretary reportedly faces growing pressure from a dozen Conservative MPs who have warned the current crop of schoolchildren face becoming ‘the forgotten generation’.
The MPs have backed a campaign by the parents’ pressure group UsforThem to fully reopen schools.
The group includes the former Cabinet minister Esther McVey and Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the influential 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, according to the Telegraph
And Mr Williams faced yet more opposition from Conservative colleagues last night, in the form of Education Select Committee Chairman Robert Halfon.
The former Minister of State for Skills revealed he had asked for an Urgent Question in the House of Commons in which he would demand to know the route-map for getting children back to school.
The Education Secretary today faces a growing a backlash from fellow Tory MPs over plans to keep schools closed until Easter (pictured: A closed school in Newcastle-Under-Lyme)
Gavin Williamson (pictured) is said to be on the brink of confirming the gloomy outlook, with many head teachers believing a delay until April or even May is most likely
Mr Williams faced yet more opposition from Conservative colleagues last night, in the form of Education Select Committee Chairman Robert Halfon, who revealed on Twitter he had asked for an Urgent Question in the House of Commons on a route map for the reopening of schools
As recently as last Thursday, Mr Williamson said that he hoped schools would be able to reopen before Easter, although Downing Street pointedly declined to endorse his comments.
Kevin Courtney, co-general secretary of the National Education Union, said talk of reopening before Easter sounded ‘optimistic’ and warned: ‘It could be as late as May.’
Speaking to broadcasters yesterday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock also said he held out hope that schools in England could possibly reopen by Easter, but it would depend on the levels of infection in the community.
‘We have got to look at the data. We have got to look at the impact of the vaccination programme,’ he said.
Mr Halfon meanwhile said last night that Downing Street should prioritise reopening schools.
Restrictions should come ‘in other parts of the economy and society’ to get schools open ‘sooner rather than later,’ he said.
‘We have to make a decision – is educating our children the most important single thing we should be doing as a nation?’ he told The Times.
‘My message to the Prime Minister is that every day we don’t open the schools properly we are damaging the life chances of the younger generation, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.’
He took to Twitter last night to confirm he had requested an Urgent Question in the House of Commons.
Speaking on social media, he said: ‘Given media speculation on schools no longer opening post Feb half-term, I’ve written to Speaker Lindsay Hoyle to ask for an a House of Commons Urgent Question to get clarity from the Department of Education & an education route map out of coronavirus to get children learning again at school.’
Last week Mr Williamson said the Government would give parents and teachers ‘good notice’ of reopening.
‘We’d aim to give teachers, pupils and parents two weeks’ notice so they’re able to get ready and we’ll always be looking for how we can get schools open for all at the earliest possible moment,’ he said.
Schools in England were told to close again from January 5, after some primaries had been back for just one day after the holidays, with Boris Johnson admitting they may act as ‘vectors of transmission’ despite being safe for pupils.
Schools in England were told to close again from January 5, after some primaries had been back for just one day after the holidays, with Boris Johnson (pictured left) admitting they may act as ‘vectors of transmission’ despite being safe for pupils
Kevin Courtney (pictured), co-general secretary of the National Education Union, said talk of reopening before Easter sounded ‘optimistic’ and warned: ‘It could be as late as May.’
To address the blow to children, the Government is planning to expand its tutoring initiative to help those most at risk of getting left behind.
The Department for Education is hoping to provide 15 hours of tuition in the next academic year for 450,000 disadvantaged children, up from its current target of 250,000.
But, to add to parents’ headaches, the eventual reopening of schools is not expected to be consistent across the country.
Deputy chief medical officer for England Dr Jenny Harries told MPs last week that a regional approach may be taken when deciding how schools reopen, with London potentially first to see pupils returning to classrooms.
Appearing before the education committee, Dr Harries responded to questions about schools by saying: ‘I think it’s likely that we will have some sort of regional separation of interventions.’
She added that there were ‘glimmers of hope’ in London, which was first affected by the new variant, and so could be first to recover.
It comes as Matt Hancock yesterday revealed teachers have a ‘good shout’ of being high on the vaccine priority list.
Hundreds of top schools are offering to allow their premises to be used for the vaccination of all teachers over the February half-term.
They say that trained staff will be on hand for the inoculation blitz, which could then allow all schools to reopen – an innovative idea revealed in The Mail On Sunday.
Yesterday, the Health Secretary said that while those at highest risk of death needed to be protected first, there was a ‘perfectly reasonable debate’ about who should be next.
Speaking on Sky’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday, he said: ‘Supply [of vaccine] is the rate-limiting factor. The question is who should have each dose as it comes in… and we’ve taken the decision, quite rightly, to go through in order of clinical need, starting with those who are most likely to die from this disease.
‘We’re going through those who are clinically vulnerable… and after that there’s a perfectly reasonable debate to be had about who should go in what order next… Teachers have got a good shout to be very high on the list and those discussions are going on.’
Currently, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation lists teachers alongside those in the military, justice and transport systems as being in the second phase for jabs.
Daily Mail’s Computer for Kids campaign raises £250,000 on its first weekend
Sam Greenhill chief reporter for the Daily Mail
The Daily Mail’s campaign to help get laptops to lockdown pupils has raised a staggering £250,000 in its first weekend.
In a flying start beyond our wildest dreams, Daily Mail readers have again shown phenomenal generosity.
From £5 to £5,000, thousands of contributions have flooded in – many from grandparents – coupled with heartfelt messages of support.
One pensioner gave £250, signing off simply as a ‘retiree’ who was ‘happy to help the young’. And today Bill Gates, who practically invented home computing, has been inspired to add his heavyweight.
One third of families are struggling with home schooling because they simply do not have enough computers for their children, an exclusive poll for the Daily Mail today reveals.
One third of families are struggling with home schooling (library image) because they simply do not have enough computers for their children, an exclusive poll for the Daily Mail today reveals
HOW TO DONATE TO COMPUTERS FOR KIDS
TO YOU, THE READER: How to send us donations
The Daily Mail has launched a brand new campaign, Computers For Kids, to raise money for Mail Force – a charity which aims to provide much needed school equipment and resources for pupils across the UK learning from home.
With schools closed, we are left with the dilemma of hundreds of thousands of pupils in the UK having no access to a computer in their home.
As part of this campaign, companies are donating their old laptops which, for around £15, can be wiped, professionally refurbished and made safe and fit for home schooling. They can then be delivered to a child or young person who needs one.
In addition, the campaign is looking to support children’s needs in other ways such as funding brand new laptops and tablets, and assisting with data access and connectivity for online learning. Any surplus funds will be used to support of the work of UK schools via other means.
TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE
Visit mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate and follow the steps to complete your donation.
Please don’t send us your old device.
TO COMPANIES: Could you give your old laptops?
Upgrading office computers is something all companies do from time to time – and there has never been a better time to donate old laptops. If you are a company with 50 laptops or more that you could give, please visit www.computacenter.com/daily-mail to check they are suitable and register your donation. We will arrange for collection by our specialist partners Computacenter. Please note: we cannot accept donated laptops from individuals.
COMPANIES SHOULD GO TO: computacenter.com/daily-mail
TO SCHOOLS: Where to apply for the computers
Schools must apply to the Department for Education, which is managing the demand and prioritising the schools most in need. The Mail Force initiative means more laptops will become available more quickly.
SCHOOLS CAN APPLY HERE: https://get-help-with-tech.education.gov.uk
Four in ten parents say the cost of computers and other items they need is too high, according to the survey.
More than a quarter cite the high cost of internet access as a problem.
And families worst hit by the Covid schools shutdown are the poorest and those in the North.
The Daily Mail poll illustrates the devastating effect of school closures on children – and their mums and dads.The survey by JL Partners shows that nearly one in five children (18 per cent) learning from home gets no ‘live’ schooling via a computer screen from their teacher per day whatsoever.
Significant numbers of parents say their children’s hopes of getting a good education, a university place or a career have been severely damaged by nearly a year of Covid disrupted education.
Even their social skills have been damaged by being denied face to face contact with their friends.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who came to power on a pledge to ‘level up’ Britain, will be concerned that the impact on poorer children is greater in all these categories.
Nor is it only the young who are suffering: a staggering one in two parents says their own mental health has deteriorated.
Mothers have borne the brunt: 55 per cent say their mental health has got worse – nine per cent higher than fathers (46 per cent).
Parents’ concern is shared by the wider public: 49 per cent of all adults say coronavirus has caused long-term damage to children’s life chances; 20 per cent disagree.
According to the poll, 82 per cent of children in England, Scotland and Wales are learning from home.
A total of 32 per cent of parents say they do not have enough computers for their studies. Nearly one in five (19 per cent) has more than one child – but only one laptop.
Six per cent who do not have a computer are forced to use a mobile phone instead.
But – while there are clearly difficulties – two thirds of parents say they do have enough laptops to cope.
An overwhelming 72 per cent believe it is the Government’s responsibility to provide computers to make home learning easier; only seven per cent disagree.
Four in ten parents say the cost of ‘remote learning materials’ such as computers, software and exercise books, is too high.
While parents are largely supportive of teachers, 41 per cent want more help from schools for children forced to learn in their front room or kitchen; 29 per cent say they have enough support.
Twenty-seven per cent believe internet access costs too much, with 23 per cent saying they grin and bear it and pay up to stop their children falling behind. Sixteen per cent of parents pay between £10 and £30 per week for internet access.
Most parents are doing their best to take the place of teachers: 44 per cent spend between one and three hours per day helping their children learn at home. An impressive additional 27 per cent devote more than three hours a day.
While 43 per cent of parents say they have taken over teaching duties because the school had ‘fallen short’ in its obligations; 30 per cent did not blame the school.
An overwhelming 72 per cent believe it is the Government’s responsibility to provide computers to make home learning easier; only seven per cent disagree
Remarkably, the survey suggests parents now do more ‘live lesson’ teaching than teachers.
Children unable to go to school are getting an average of two hours and six minutes of ‘live’ remote lessons from their school teacher a day – two minutes less than the average time parents spend teaching their offspring.
Seventeen per cent of parents in the South are paying for private tuition to help children learn at home – more than three times more than in the less prosperous North where 5 per cent do this.
Nowhere is the class divide on the effect of the stress and strain on parents during the Covid crisis illustrated more vividly than the mental health impact. Among affluent families, 39 per cent say their mental health has suffered; 20 per cent say it has improved.
However, among the poorest families, these figures are 61 per cent and five per cent respectively. The public agree that today’s young generation will feel the effects of the pandemic for decades.
Almost one in two (49 per cent) say it will inflict long-term damage to their children’s life chances; 20 per cent say it will not have this effect. James Johnson of JL Partners said: ‘This poll lays bare the stark inequality of the Covid pandemic, and months of remote learning.
‘Middle-class parents say there has been no real impact on their children’s life chances, but children of working-class parents and the unemployed are short of laptops, their parents have seen their physical and mental health worsen, and they are the least likely to have remote lessons provided for by their school.
‘While some enjoy the comforts of being at home, this data shows that less affluent children are truly being left behind.’
A total of 4,052 adults took part in the poll from January 18 to 21. It includes 988 parents of children under 18. Of these, 734 have youngsters learning from home.
I welcome this boost from the Mail and its readers, writes Education Secretary GAVIN WILLIAMSON
By Gavin Williamson for the Daily Mail
The last thing any parent wanted was to see schools closing to most pupils – as they had to at the start of this month.
I’m a parent myself and I completely understand that this will have caused no end of disruption for those of you who are trying to juggle a family and working from home at the same time.
However well parents are managing to support their children while they learn from home, there really is no substitute for them being in school.
I can assure you as soon as Covid infection rates are back under control then we will get them back there as quickly as we can.
The last thing any parent wanted was to see schools closing to most pupils – as they had to at the start of this month, writes Education Secretary Gavin Williamson (pictured)
In the meantime, thanks to our superb teachers, every child can now expect to have high-quality lessons remotely and I’m delighted that the Daily Mail and its generous readers will be helping our remote education programme.
Of course, for this to be successful pupils need the right devices to work from and we are well aware that this is not a given. Not every pupil has a laptop and not every family has internet access.
I want to assure you that we have been working incredibly hard to deliver the necessary tech across the country so that every child – especially those from disadvantaged homes – can keep their learning on track.
We have now delivered an extra 800,000 laptops and tablets on top of the ones schools already had – and nearly 240,000 have gone out in the past couple of weeks.
While I can’t give you a date for when children will be back at their desks, I do want to assure everyone that we are doing everything in our power to make sure that their learning does not suffer. An empty classroom is seen at Westlands Primary School, Staffordshire
Laptops and devices have been in high demand across the world and it has been a massive procurement exercise to get hold of them. In spite of that, we are making sure that 1.3million devices are going to be distributed to children in England who need them.
Our Get Help With Technology programme, which has been distributing laptops, tablets and 4G routers with pre-loaded data since May last year, goes hand-in-hand with the Government’s work with mobile network operators, enabling schools to request free data uplifts for disadvantaged families.
We have also set up a new online ‘one stop shop’ for all schools and colleges to help them keep up to date with the latest information and guidance on remote education as well as tips and advice from teachers and leaders.
Every pupil can now expect to have either recorded or live direct teaching as well as time to complete tasks they’ve been set as they learn from home.
Although teachers know what materials work best for their own lessons, there is also plenty of other material from external providers available for them to use.
Last Easter, for instance, a group of 40 teachers launched the Oak National Academy. This new venture was created in two weeks flat and has gone on to produce thousands of high-quality teacher-led videoed lessons.
These include topics as varied as blues musicianship and an examination of the effects of urban sprawl on local communities. The BBC is also providing a mass of educational content across its channels to support home learning.
And these are just a couple of examples of an immense industry response – from textbook publishers, from digital teaching tools and from training providers – to extend help to schools.
While I can’t give you a date for when children will be back at their desks, I do want to assure everyone that we are doing everything in our power to make sure that their learning does not suffer.
Backed by the support of the Mail and its readers, I have no doubt remote education will continue to go from strength to strength and will help keep our pupils’ learning on track.