First published in The Telegraph, 9 June 2020:
I worry about our great country. The Government turns a blind eye to thousands of people demonstrating across our cities, we campaign for pubs and cafes to open, yet when it comes to our schools, reopening is met with staunch opposition. This is despite considerable evidence from the World Health Organisation, many EU countries and our very own Chief Medical Officer that it is safe to do so.
Of course, one can understand the anxieties of parents, teachers and support staff who have been working tirelessly over the past few weeks to keep schools open for vulnerable children and those of critical workers.
However, 85 per cent of disadvantaged pupils are not in school and 55 per cent of teachers from schools in the most deprived communities believe that their children are learning for just one hour a day — if that. Alarming statistics from the Children’s Commissioner suggest that 700,000 children do not have access to a computer or tablet, so all the impressive Oak Academy learning initiatives, Google classes and the like will simply pass these children by.
As well as worrying about the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, those in education should also balance the minimal risk of going back to school, against the much larger threat of an epidemic of educational poverty, a growing digital divide and a safeguarding crisis. A senior official at the Department for Education said on May 16 that the lockdown would almost certainly have “a very significant impact on the attainment gap… the predictions are stark, up to a 75 per cent widening”. It is not just about educational outcomes but also the new frontier of vulnerabilities, with growing mental health pressures, greater exposure to online harms, county gangs or domestic violence.
School closures could have a significant impact on the economy. Predictions suggest that by the time the affected cohorts are in their 20s, they will have 10 percent lower skills than they would otherwise have, potentially having a lasting impact on productivity in this country.
To avoid educational poverty — and limit possible detriment to our economy — we need encouragement and vision from the Prime Minister, recognising the importance of education. The Education Secretary must set out a national plan for education and skills, establishing a nationwide volunteer army of retired teachers, graduates and Ofsted inspectors collaborating with schools and social workers on a catch-up programme, including summer schools, for left-behind pupils. This could be achieved through a catch-up premium, at relatively low cost and with huge benefits to these children.
The BBC and others should set up a national broadcasting service on television for a few hours a day, to ensure that those children who do not have online access, will have the opportunity to learn at home.
We must get our children and teenagers learning again, and that means reopening schools sooner rather than later. If not, the real risk will be damaging the life chances of thousands of children, by delaying their chance to climb the education ladder of opportunity.
