News podcast: Exam and closure U-turns - the aftermath

The Tes news team on the consequences of what is ‘arguably the DfE’s biggest U-turn yet’ since the start of the pandemic
8th January 2021, 6:00pm

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News podcast: Exam and closure U-turns - the aftermath

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archived/news-podcast-exam-and-closure-u-turns-aftermath
Tes News Podcast 8 January 2021: The Consequences Of The Dfe U-turn - Schools Partially Closed & Gcse & A-level Exams Cancelled

Join the Tes news team as we look back at a busy week including the government’s decision to close schools just one day into the new term amid rising Covid infection rates.

At the same time, the decision to cancel GCSE and A-level exams for a second year running has left headteachers furious over the absence of an immediate plan B.

We also talk about figures showing that teachers are more than three times more likely to be infected with Covid than the rest of the population.

And we discuss how partially-open schools are likely to be accommodating more pupils than in the first lockdown after the Department for Education said children without internet access could attend. This has prompted criticism over the lack of delivery of devices under the government’s laptops scheme as well as concerns that a lack of devices “risks undermining the effectiveness of the lockdown”.

We mention how the DfE is encouraging parents to report schools to Ofsted if they don’t think their children’s remote learning is of a sufficient standard - yet how, in response, some families are reporting teachers to the inspectorate for being invaluable to their children’s education. 

 

 

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