“The Prime Minister’s statement that it would be “madness” to risk a second spike in transmission of the Coronavirus highlights the need for extreme caution. Regrettably, the Prime Minister’s announcement is likely to provoke confusion and does not address the genuine concerns that have been raised by teachers.

“The Prime Minister’s announcement lacks the clarity of statements issued by Ministers in Scotland and Wales who have reaffirmed the key ‘stay at home’ message. The Government’s announcement that schools in England might reopen to more children from 1 June risks thousands of schools rushing to make decisions about how best to safeguard the health and safety of children and staff in the absence of any clear national guidance.

“It is baffling that following the Government’s decision to close all schools on public health grounds that the Government now expects individual schools to work out for themselves whether or not it will be safe to reopen on 1 June and potentially put at risk the health of children, staff and the public. With no date yet set for when the Government’s guidance will be forthcoming, school leaders in England are being placed in an extremely difficult position of being asked to draw up plans affecting lives of children and their teachers.

“These announcements will do little to assuage teachers’ concerns about the premature reopening of schools. The Government must with the utmost urgency address teachers’ concerns or expect to lose the goodwill of the profession. Unless and until the Government can demonstrate that schools will be safe for staff and children, all schools should continue to limit their opening only to vulnerable children and to children of key workers.

“The NASUWT will continue to press the Government on the need for clear guidance and stringent and enforceable health and safety risk assessment measures to be in place in every school prior to relaxing the current restrictions. The UK Government’s message to be responsible and to ‘stay alert’ will ring hollow with teachers who are still being denied access to appropriate PPE and who have been given no clear guidance about how social distancing can be practiced in school settings.

“Notwithstanding the Government’s five tests, the bottom line is that no teacher or child should be expected to go into schools until it can be demonstrated that it is safe for them to do so.”

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT said: “The government’s cuts to school budgets are bad news for children who are being bullied.

“School staff are the first line of defence against bullying and they are the best way of making sure it doesn’t happen in the first place. But NAHT’s research into school budgets shows that more than a third of schools (37%) have had to reduce the number or hours of teaching staff.

“Teaching assistants and pastoral staff in schools also play a vital role in managing behaviour, but more than four fifths (86%) of school leaders have reduced the hours or numbers of support staff because of the cuts. Almost two thirds (65%) of the NAHT members who responded to our survey said that they strongly agreed these reductions have resulted in a negative impact on their school.

“Of particular concern to us is the fact that pupils with additional needs and from lower incomes are the once most likely to report that they are being bullied. But efforts to step in, so that every child has an equal chance to succeed, are being hampered by the cuts to budgets.

“Pupils thrive when they have a great environment to learn in. That environment is created by the skilled professionals employed by the school. Many of these professionals are having their hours cut because school budgets are at breaking point, and there’s no sign of any extra money coming from the Treasury, which is a disaster for young people who are feeling bullied at school.”

“School leaders expect to be held to account. Children only get one chance at an education and it is absolutely right that arrangements are in place to monitor quality and to take action where problems exist – quite frankly, the stakes are simply too high not to. But accountability systems should always be tested against their ability to improve standards. In the 25 years since Ofsted were formed they have helped transform educational standards in this country. Now, the vast majority of schools are good or better. This changed landscape demands a different approach if Ofsted are to continue to be a force for improvement in education.

“The NAHT-led commission on accountability publishes its own report next Friday. It examines how well accountability arrangements are working and will make recommendations to reduce the negative impacts of the current system and sets an alternative vision for the future of school oversight.”

The report finds that teachers work the joint highest number of hours annually and have the joint lowest average hourly pay of all three professions. And despite finding that teacher satisfaction levels are relatively high, it does acknowledge a retention crisis.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, commented:

“Anyone working in schools knows how rewarding it can be. Teachers are graduates, who have many career choices open to them – they go into teaching with passion, because they care and want to make a difference. But with teachers working the joint highest number of hours annually, with the joint lowest average hourly pay, there is a real danger of them burning out.

“This report shows that teachers are more likely to leave their profession than nurses or police officers – 12.3% per year, compared to 9.9% for nurses and 7.7% for police. While 78% of teachers say they are satisfied with their jobs, 47% said they were unhappy with their amount of leisure time.

“Workload is a huge issue for teachers. NFER state that teachers who leave appear to be motivated by reduced working hours and more opportunities for flexible working. And that, despite popular belief, the long hours that teachers work during term time substantially exceed the amount of extra holiday time they may receive. Unfortunately, many are finding the balance unworkable, and more and more great educators are simply tapping out.”

James Bowen, director of NAHT Edge, said: “The DfE’s own data shows that almost 1 in 3 teachers leave within 5 years of qualifying, and EPI research shows that more than half (52%) of teachers have less than 10 years’ experience. These are people that the profession can ill-afford to lose. Not only is the profession becoming less experienced, we are losing excellent teachers who have the potential to become school leaders in the future.”

Paul Whiteman continued: “Teachers’ real average hourly pay has seen a substantial fall over the last decade – 15% compared to 4% and 11% for nurses and police officers. The case for more money for schools and a lift of the 1% pay cap is overwhelming – and urgent.

“Teachers, nurses and the police are all vitally important to this country, our children, and to the future. We shouldn’t have to compare how badly treated they are; their true value should be reflected in their pay and conditions.”

Today, NAHT publishes figures from its annual survey of school budgets. The survey showed that 86 percent of school leaders believe that the government is underfunding the additional needs of children, causing major financial pressures.

When asked what actions school leaders were taking to try to make their budget balance for this year, 79.65 per cent said, ‘Reducing the number or hours of teaching assistants’ and 47.26 per cent said ‘Reducing non-educational support and services for children.’

Valentine Mulholland, head of policy at NAHT says: “School budgets are at breaking point and we need some substantial additional investment. Schools are absolutely pared back to the bone and now their only means to make savings is to cut back on staff costs. Pupils who require support will be hit hardest. To support these students, staff need regular updates to their training and we have evidence that this is also being cut.

Marijke Miles, acting head of Baycroft school, a special needs secondary in Hampshire, called the cuts “short-sighted”. She said: “All too often, the successes of my students happen despite the system, not because of it. And that can’t be right. The system is creaking because it is underfunded. This reduces students’ aspirations and it is very harmful for their wellbeing.”

Paul Whiteman, NAHT general secretary, said: “NAHT represents the vast majority of school leaders running special schools and alternative provision, and those settings are some of the best in the world. They deliver amazing results every day to enable children and young people to live up to their potential. But it’s at risk if we don’t secure more high needs funding for schools, and more of the critical health and social care funding that these pupils need. The Chancellor has a moral duty to act on high needs funding.”

www.naht.org.uk

The most common reasons highlighted by school leaders for children not being school ready were:

• Failure to identify and support additional needs early enough (67 per cent)
• Parents having less available resources / pressure on parents and family life (66 per cent)
• Reduction in local services to support families (63 per cent)
• Reduction in local health services to support families (57 per cent)

Almost a quarter said that more than half their intake was not ready for school.

Almost 9 in 10 (88 per cent) said inadequate school funding was a barrier to improving school readiness.

School leaders highlighted particular concerns about communication skills and physical development. Speech, language and communication problems were the biggest issues with 97 per cent of respondents identifying these problems as a concern.

As the Chancellor and his team at the Treasury are making decisions about this autumn’s budget, NAHT and the Family and Childcare Trust are calling on the Government to prioritise funding for support for families in the early years to help set children up to learn at school and beyond.

Paul Whiteman, NAHT general secretary said: “We want to see extra money for education, including early education before children start school, and renewed investment in critical services for families. Without proper investment, the youngest and most vulnerable in our society will be starting off behind, with uncertain chances of catching up.”

Ellen Broomé, Chief Executive of the Family and Childcare Trust, said: “Four fifths of school leaders said that children who had no previous early education demonstrated the most challenging issues. There is strong evidence that early education can help to boost children’s outcomes and narrows the gap between disadvantaged children and their peers – but only if it is high quality. The Government must make sure that every child can access high quality early education and that parents can get the right support to help them to give their children the best start in life.”

Anne Lyons, NAHT President, and head teacher at St. John Fisher Catholic Primary School said: “With this report we are hoping to highlight the impact that cuts to public services are having on families and children. The support that families of all kinds regard as essential are being cut back or have already disappeared. Cuts to school budgets mean that it’s also getting harder to address these issues once the children are in school.”

The full report is available here.

“Hundreds of millions of pounds have been found in order to pursue a policy on grammar schools that is proven to reduce opportunities for the most disadvantaged. This shreds the government’s credibility on evidence-based policy. These new schools will actively lower education standards in the areas they serve.

“The chosen model for delivery is the free school. Free schools are the least efficient way to create new spaces. A few thousand pupils will benefit. In the meantime, millions of students will face a narrower curriculum, larger classes, crumbling buildings and the erosion of extra-curricular activities as schools cope with over £3 billion in real terms cuts. The most vulnerable children, including those with special needs and those whose parents cannot supplement school activity, will be hardest hit.

“The Chancellor has offered £216 million for the repair of school buildings. This is a drop in the ocean compared to the £6.7 billion the National Audit Office estimate is required to bring the School estate up to an acceptable standard.

“In short the priorities of this budget are fundamentally wrong. School leaders will be left wondering if there is any potential for constructive engagement with this government. In the absence of consultation and proper evidence, in the light of such narrow policies, many will conclude there is not.”

In the letter, national secretary Philippa Childs welcomes the government’s announcement of £50m a year for local authorities to continue to monitor and commission school improvement for low-performing maintained schools, and the new £140m strategic school improvement fund for academies and maintained schools.

Childs said: “Prospect is the largest union for school improvement professionals, so our members are keen for us to meet the DfE to flesh out more detail on its strategic proposals and how the new funding will be allocated.

“Members also want us to highlight the crucial role they play and encourage a discussion of key principles around mentoring and advising schools to produce successful outcomes for pupils across the whole ability range.”

She pointed out that while many of Prospect’s members in school improvement are still employed by local authorities, others operate as private consultants or work for private companies that sell their services to schools.

“However, in all cases, their independence from the schools they support is important to ensure objectivity.”

With the letter, Childs has enclosed Prospect’s standards for educational development and improvement professionals. This document identifies six key standards that recognise the responsibility of professionals working in children’s services for child development.

Childs added: “Our members have invaluable experience working with both maintained schools and academies and we believe the standards could help to ensure the new funding delivers the government’s ambitions.”

Prospect is also keen to engage with the National Schools Commissioner about his strategy to drive up standards in schools.