There has been plenty of speculation over the past two months and more about how Covid-19 will change education - but now that change is starting to take shape.
Last week, first minister Nicola Sturgeon, in publishing tentative plans for easing lockdown, revealed some of the practical implications for education that could become a reality over the coming months.
Retired teachers could return to school en masse; leisure centres and sports stadiums may have to set up classrooms; teachers and pupils are likely to be heading outdoors for lessons like never before. And the very rhythm of the annual school calendar has been disrupted, with all schools now due back from holiday on the same day in the height of summer, 11 August.
Staff and students will be coming back to “blended” learning - an innocuous-sounding term that actually presents a monumental challenge, pedagogically and practically. Last week’s government guidance suggested that most pupils will spend around half their learning time in school and half at home. In reality, even that may be difficult to pull off. We hear of council officials looking at one week on and two weeks off for pupils - a working rhythm more typical of Scotland’s oil rig workers - or of bringing different age groups in for just an hour and a half a day.
Whatever schools end up doing, two things are certain: it won’t be easy, and a lot of parents won’t be happy with it. In circumstances such as these, it’s best to accept from the start that things will be bumpy, but that it’s simple to make the ride smoother by regularly informing people about what is happening and taking decisive action.
The actions of a certain adviser to Boris Johnson’s government over the past week have shown how essential it is to provide clear advice and respond swiftly to public concern if, as policymakers, you wish to maintain confidence in your handling of a crisis. Most people will be forgiving if they are kept in the loop and sense that an organisation is acting promptly and with confidence and transparency in the face of an ongoing emergency.
Looking back to the ancient history of March, Education Scotland moved early to cancel school inspections and the General Teaching Council for Scotland did likewise in ending student teachers’ placements. In contrast, part of the reason the Scottish Qualifications Authority has received so much flak is that people have felt in the dark about its decision making, with the sporadic release of vague and verbose statements serving to fuel rather than quell anxiety.
Resetting the entire system of awarding qualifications is, of course, a tougher job than calling off inspections or student placements. But, at this time more than ever, it is crucial that there is transparency about decisions that will affect students and teachers: they need to be updated regularly by national bodies, even if that amounts to little more than holding statements that provide minimal certainty.
The government documents published last week go some way to lifting the fog of uncertainty around schools; what comes next will be hard, but will be easier with time given to digest difficult realities. Schools and families now know that there may be some support provided for the crucial transitions into P1 and S1, that hubs will take on more pupils and remain open over the summer, that attempts are being made to bridge the “digital divide” in home learning by providing 25,000 free laptops to pupils.
Many critical questions remain unanswered - not least the issue of whether, given the exceptional circumstances of the 2020-21 school year, it would be best to cancel next year’s exams now, as unions are suggesting.
No response to dilemmas like this will be perfect. But the sooner students and teachers have answers, the better they will adapt.
@Henry_Hepburn
This article originally appeared in the 29 May 2020 issue under the headline “We are gearing up for a bumpy ride, but clarity will ease it”
