Gill Denham is the Executive Headteacher of Marish Primary School, Denham has written an open letter looking at the challenges of going into a second lockdown, the pressures of keeping a team motivated and ensuring the education of her pupils. She echoes the thoughts of many and puts forward a ‘on the ground perspective’ of the competing priorities that she is being asked to fulfil. What comes first, health checks or OFSTED, reassuring parents or reporting to the Local Authority?
Located in Slough, Berkshire, Marish serves a culturally diverse community where two thirds of the 800 pupils have English as a second language and over 40 languages are spoken. Increased deprivation, overcrowded housing, a higher than average proportion of refugees and immigrants and children with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are some of the challenges the school faces and is now beginning to overcome in spite of the interruptions to education In 2020.
‘’Hello,
This is such a bizarre time that I feel compelled to write down some of my concerns about the pressures school leaders are under. I am not sure whether anyone who matters, or can do something about will even get to read this, or if they do whether they can make any difference, but I think it might help me and our staff team to at least write it down and 'park it.'
We are on the brink of a second semi lockdown or whatever it is. But schools will remain open to all pupils. I don't have a problem with that. I believe school is the safest and best place for our children and young people during what is likely to be a challenging next four weeks.
What is a problem for me is that the pandemic has brought a plethora of additional requirements and not really removed any of the usual obligations and duties. I struggle less with the overall uncertainty than with prioritising what I should do, what I should stop doing and what I should do differently.
You see I can promise to keep our schools open.
I can promise to keep children fed, safe and happy.
I can promise to walk the talk and reassure parents and staff.
I can promise to teach and be a role model leader
I can promise to be flexible about timings and staffing and the curriculum and to go the extra mile.
I can promise that we will nurture and care for and educate the children in our charge, whether in person or online.
I can promise to do my best to fulfil our duty of care to children first and adults too, by going out into the community if necessary delivering food parcels, work and computers, because that is what we do here- meet needs.
But what I cannot do is do all the above things, which I hope you will agree are pretty important and do the following:
Prepare for SATs
Complete phonics screening on children who have yet to be taught the phonics they need to meet the standard
Report to governors, auditors and the LA and the DFE in the usual way
Ensure every child has their full curricular or SEND interventions entitlement when we cannot staff the schools adequately all the time because staff are ill or self isolating
Deal with the threat of Ofsted in January, bearing in mind that we had the Ofsted call on 16th March this year and our inspection was cancelled, although we were ready and begged for it to go ahead.
Be available 24/7 and during holidays to answer the copious emails and other queries from HSE, Unions, DFE and LA.
Sustain morale in the face of the constant badgering about schools' responsibilities to manage the mental health of children and young people and by association their parents
Respond to or even read and just delete the endless emails about RSE, PPE and sanitising in schools, most of which are just circulars from people touting for business, but which amount to 100+ each week.
Having to fight with the LA to get the service we have paid for Admissions, Appeals and Educational Psychology.
Hold your nerve in the face of national fear and support many adults with extreme anxiety not just about the pandemic, but about their homes and livelihoods.
Do our usual excellent job, at addressing disadvantage and removing barriers to learning, including poor attendance at school, because this issue is very difficult to force currently.
So, is there anyway, anyone out there can perhaps influence the DFE to remove some of the routine pressures for the remainder of this academic year or at least until we have a vaccine?
I am a seasoned experienced headteacher and an ebullient person generally, but current challenges are starting to seem insuperable.
I do hope you are all safe and well.’’
