Back-to-school strategy is lazy and flawed | Letters

Gavin Williamson’s one-size-fits-all approach to reopening schools will not work, writes Anthony Side, while Chris McDonnell is disappointed in the education secretary’s lack of leadership

While the ambition to get schools fully operational again by September is necessary and sensible (School subjects may be retaught, dropped or narrowed in England, 2 July), simply to extend the bubble concept as a solution is based on flawed and lazy thinking.

Bubbles have been established and maintained quite successfully with half-sized classes and half-time attendance for limited year groups, especially at primary level. However, there are numerous reasons why this mechanism cannot be scaled up effectively for full-time secondary schooling. Specialist subject staff teach across year groups; support staff serve entire schools; resources such as libraries, IT suites, science labs, tech workshops, music rooms and sports facilities are shared by all years; toilets are used by everyone; and, even with staggered arrival and departure, transport services will be common to all years. Moreover, many families have siblings in different years, and out-of-school activities are cross-year and cross-school.

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from Children | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2ZTad6z