To hear an update on the above titled item.

Matthew Newberry, from Ofsted, had done some research about vulnerable/pupil premium children. He had asked various head teachers across the borough a series of questions which were mostly themed around the attendance patterns of vulnerable children. A 30 minute phone call was the method of recording information and Matthew Newberry commented on how impressive the commitment to the community was from head teachers. They had a passion for helping vulnerable groups and discovering new ways of teaching. There was also praise from schools for the school improvement service offered by RBWM, with Clive and his team doing an excellent job.

Looking at the findings, Matthew Newberry said that head teachers had noticed gaps, but it was not as simple as a gap between different groups of children. Engagement with learning during lockdown had been different and schools had to monitor its vision and values and encourage pupils to ensure that there was still structure to their school day. There had been a lot of feedback on anxiety, particularly on what would happen next year once schools opened up again to all students.

A higher number of vulnerable and pupil premium children had attended primary school than secondary school and the attendance nationally was very similar. Eight schools across the borough that were in areas of higher deprivation saw higher attendances of vulnerable children. Strategies that had been suggested in order to stay in contact was communication with parents, newsletters and online meetings. The main challenge was that school attendance was not compulsory and these groups needed to be encouraged to attend school, if they needed to. IT provision had been made available for those who did not have access at home and funding for laptops had been made available. The dedication of staff had been excellent and they would be getting a full summer holiday as schools would close over summer.

Various home learning platforms had been used by schools and it would be good to explore which ones have proved to be the most useful. Some schools had also trialled having live online lessons which could be delivered to pupils from home, or  by narrating over PowerPoints which would give the context and background of a specific topic. In terms of the next steps, Mathew Newberry said that blending leaning strategies, broadening feedback and keeping up pastoral support were the key messages.

The Chairman said that vulnerable children were the priority of this Forum and he echoed the excellent communication from schools across the borough. He said that mental health was a long term issue and asked if there had been enough support from NHS England, along with if RBWM could do anything more to support schools with the recovery curriculum.

Matthew Newberry said that the report provided a through and detailed analysis of issues which could be used if there was a second lockdown. He said that there was a significant amount of anxiety around the unknown but schools felt that they were well supported.

Helen Daniels said that they had received a lot of information and guidance this week from the government on what was going on. She said that people were feeling a lot more confident about the situation now.

Councillor Del Campo said that it was a comprehensive report. She asked how long school inspections were on hold for. Matthew Newberry said that the Chief Inspector wanted inspectors to work with local authorities while there were no inspections happening. Some Ofsted staff had been contacting safeguarding assessments, but there would be an interim period before full inspections were to resume.

Councillor Coppinger asked if there were any key lessons to take forward into the ‘new world’. Matthew Newberry said that there was a number of references to academic research in the report which would form the bedrock of the return to school. There were some important things that could be learnt from this when schools reopened in September.

The Chairman said that the next steps were important, and thanked Matthew Newberry for his contributions. He highlighted that Clive Haines and his team should be thanked for all their hard work helping schools over a tough period.