“Given the challenges we faced, and because some people can’t be bothered to book a slot or the system has crashed, we’re going to push for more of a walk-in approach. “We’re being told there isn’t any concerns around supply for Pfizer or Astra-Zeneca, which is positive. “We are most definitely going to use children centres, but we just need to decide on what days to use them. “Or use them in the evenings or the mornings. “We could use some of the school facilities, we had a meeting with the headteachers. “If somebody has offered us a school where we don’t need it, we won’t take it. It has to be where we need a boost.”
According to the latest data, Essex pupils missed more than 870,000 days of face-to-face teaching in the autumn term after having to self-isolate or shield due to Covid. Robin Bevan, headteacher at Southend High School for Boys, said: “Schools and colleges have contributed superbly throughout the pandemic. “Despite the challenges, pupils at Southend High School for Boys have thrived in their learning. “The self-isolation of close contacts – sending home bubbles – has been very effective in reducing community transmission, even if it has also proved to be a frustrating experience. “We now welcome the clarity provided by the Government regarding how schools will operate in the autumn and hope this proves to be a step in the right direction.”
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Education leaders in Suffolk believe the Government s plans could have gone further
- Credit: PA
Education leaders in Suffolk have raised concerns about the amount of money being offered by the Government to help pupils catch up after the Covid pandemic.
On Wednesday the Department for Education announced that £1.4billion of funding would be made available to offer pupils up to 100 million hours of tuition.
But the £1.4bn – made available on top of £1.7bn already pledged – has come under fire as being insufficient to deal with the problems caused by the pandemic.
Graham White said more should have been done sooner to support pupils
Despite the common issues confronting education workers all over Britain, the education unions have worked to keep strikes isolated to single schools and colleges.