WE’VE BEEN WORKING HARD TO DRIVE PROGRESS FOR OUR MEMBERS.

COVID-19 PROGRESS TO DATE AND NEXT STEPS

COVID LOGISTICS, TESTING AND GUIDANCE

• Throughout the pandemic, NAHT has provided detailed guidance to members and regular FAQs in response to government policy decisions. This includes advice on managing Covid-19, professional issues, assessment, relations with other unions, mental health of pupils and a wide range of other topics.

• NAHT continued to call on the DfE to remove school leaders from the track and trace process. This led to the announcement that from July 2021, the responsibility would largely shift to NHS track and trace.

• We have continued to call for a more proactive stance from government on key issues such as ventilation in schools. The government will now be providing CO2 monitors to all schools and is running a trial of air purification systems in some schools.

• NAHT has continued to call on the government to provide better notice of changes to guidance. Following the national lockdown in January 2021, the government confirmed schools would get at least two weeks’ notice of any changes, apart form in emergency circumstances.

• NAHT ensured that schools would not be asked to remain open for Critical

Worker or Vulnerable Children during February half-term or Easter in 2021.

Next Steps:

• NAHT continue to call on the government to do more to protect pupils and staff. We will continue to lobby the government to do more to support schools to improve ventilation (including offering financial support where necessary), support schools with the cost of supply staff and change aspects of current covid guidance.

Funding

• NAHT secured some emergency funding support for schools in the most precarious financial position as a result of Covid through the exceptional costs scheme and the Covid workforce fund.

• Despite the limitations of the scheme, NAHT sought and received clarification that teaching assistants, learning support assistants, therapists and other non-teaching staff in special schools and AP were included in the Covid workforce fund

• Secured an additional £1b in Covid recovery funding at the 2021 budget and a further £4.7b in core funding by 2024-5.

Next Steps:

• NAHT will continue to campaign on school funding and make the case that a return to 2010 levels is not sufficient. There will be a particular focus on SEND funding within this.

• We will continue to call on the government to reimburse schools for their additional Covid related costs, and support schools with additional supply costs. NAHT will continue to campaign for a sufficient, long-term funding solution for the Maintained Nursery Sector.

ASSESSMENT, EXAMS AND PERFORMANCE DATA

• Ensured that the government cancelled all forms of primary statutory assessment in 2020/21.

• Represented the views of secondary members influencing the decisions of government about the awarding of grades in 2021 through numerous consultations and meetings..

• Ensured that there will be no school level performance data published or used for accountability purposes in 2021.

• Ensured that the results of primary tests and statutory assessments will not be published in KS2 performance tables in 2021/22.

Next Steps:

• NAHT will continue to represent members views regarding exams and assessments in 2022, including the contingency plans should exams not be able to go ahead.

• NAHT will continue to challenge the decision to go ahead with the full suite of primary statutory assessments in 2021/2022.

• NAHT will continue to raise member concerns around the use of performance data in 2021/22.

Ofsted And Accountability

• Successfully ensured that there would be no return to routine inspection in the spring and summer terms 2021 and that monitoring inspections for Inadequate and double RI schools would focus on how well schools are educating pupils in the current circumstances rather than progress since last inspection.

• Took the first steps to commence judicial review proceedings against Ofsted in order to challenge the legal basis for their visits to schools in autumn 2020.

• NAHT issued detailed guidance on monitoring inspections advice for members on how to handle a call from Ofsted following a parental complaint about remote learning.

Next Steps:

• NAHT will continue to set out a vision for an approach to inspection that supports rather than penalises schools, and where the high stakes, perverse incentives and unintended consequences of inspection are reduced, line with the recommendations of our Accountability and School Improvement Commissions.

EDUCATION ‘RECOVERY’

• Ensured that schools have significant freedom and autonomy to decide how any additional ‘recovery funding’ is spent, including increased flexibility in relation to how tutoring funding is spent.

• Secured an additional £1b for recovery funding in the 2021 budget.

Next Steps:

• NAHT will continue to call for additional funding to support schools with their ongoing recovery work, particularly in relation to pupil mental health. We will also continue to call for schools to have the freedom to determine how money is spent.

• NAHT will oppose any simplistic attempts to extend the school day.