Headteachers in Lancaster and Morecambe describe 'Herculean effort' in getting kids back to school amidst budget worries and coronavirus testing difficulties

Primary school headteachers in Lancaster, Morecambe and the wider district say new Covid-19 arrangements have meant staff are "working in anxious environments, with little or no breaks during the day."
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The group, made up of primary school headteachers in the Lancaster and Morecambe area, said that they were "delighted" to have been able to return to schools in full numbers, despite "frequently changing guidance".

The group said: "To get to this point has taken a Herculean effort from senior leaders and all staff.

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"It is so difficult to ensure compliance with frequently changing guidance, to maintain heightened cleanliness and sanitation arrangements, manage the day to retain bubble integrity and help our children to settle back into school life and start to re-engage with learning.

Headteachers in Lancaster and Morecambe describe 'Herculean effort' in getting kids back to school amidst budget worries and coronavirus testing difficulties.Headteachers in Lancaster and Morecambe describe 'Herculean effort' in getting kids back to school amidst budget worries and coronavirus testing difficulties.
Headteachers in Lancaster and Morecambe describe 'Herculean effort' in getting kids back to school amidst budget worries and coronavirus testing difficulties.

"Covid arrangements mean staff are often working in anxious environments, with little or no breaks during the day and ever changing policy/ procedures.

"These efforts are being hampered by the difficulty in children, staff and families in a) securing a test from once they have any Covid symptoms and b) getting results in a timely manner.

"Without easy access to tests and rapid turnover of results, the sustainability of our painstakingly developed systems is severely tested and starts to feel unsustainable.

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"This is heart-breaking for those of us who just want to get on with bringing children back to school, providing some stability and routine and helping them to catch up with the learning that they have lost."

The group said work is further compromised by the limited budgets they have available to maintain heightened Covid arrangements.

They said school budgets were already under considerable pressure before the pandemic, and that for many schools across the area and country, increased financial demands threaten to become unsustainable.

"In the midst of managing the current pandemic with its ever changing nature and demands, we also face the possibility of an OFSTED visit to judge our lockdown and catch up provision with advice published many weeks on from their visit by which time in the current environment any learning or advice may well be obsolete," the group said.

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"Any such visit in the current environment could feel like an unhelpful distraction and added pressure, for schools that are already at their limit in their efforts to just stay open.

"Following a summer of exam disruption an assumption that all assessments and exam arrangements should continue as planned is creating further anxiety when the reality is that schools are far from operating as normal at present and neither children or schools should feel penalised or unfairly judged for this.

"As headteachers we are grateful for the clear guidance and support that our Local Authority has provided and also want to express huge thanks to our parents who have adjusted to our staggered times, one ways systems and guidance and to reassure them that we will keep up the efforts of school leaders and staff across our area in ensuring that children are in school, met by friendly positive faces, helping them to pick up their learning again."