The last three months have seen rapidly changing circumstances in education as the pandemic continues to unfold. Each pivot that schools have had to make – including closures, implementing blended models of learning, and managing staggered returns by year group - has had both short and longer-term implications for teaching and learning.
Practitioners, researchers and policy makers across the sector have been working to understand these implications, and this week saw a variety of key developments:
1. Implications of COVID-19 on teacher recruitment and retention
On Monday, Ian Mearns (Education Select Committee) chaired a meeting with over 70 attendees to discuss the teaching profession, and today, EPI released research about teacher recruitment and retention.
The research shows that the inevitable recession caused by Covid-19 is likely to increase teacher numbers and ease recruitment and retention challenges. We could expect roughly 1,800 more graduates to become teachers over the next two years, reducing overall recruitment shortages by between 20-40, and that thousands of teachers are likely to remain in the profession when they would have otherwise quit.
However, there are questions around the opportunities for these applicants, as Initial Teacher Training providers highlighted the current challenges of finding placements for trainees and NQTs due to budgetary concerns and NQTs’ limited teaching practice in schools. March-June 2020 has seen a significant reduction in available vacancies, with school leadership posts down by 50%, and an overall loss of 10,000 teaching jobs. Therefore, as EPI say, the government should support schools by giving them financial certainty to recruit new teachers where they are needed and ensure that this increase lasts in the long-term.
2. Free internet vouchers will be provided to 10,000 families
We welcome the news that internet vouchers will be provided to 10,000 families in England. This is an important starting point for enabling all young people to access to key learning resources during the pandemic. However, at the same time, the National Foundation for Educational Research Schools’ Responses to Covid-19 report highlights that around a third of pupils are not engaging with set work, with pupil engagement lowest in schools with the highest levels of deprivation. This demonstrates that we must celebrate the great work, but that focus is still needed for tailored support for all young people.
3. 1.3 million young people will have access to free school meals during the summer holidays
We are pleased that the Government has announced a £120 million “Covid Summer Food Fund” in response to growing pressure over ensuring children have access to free school meals during the summer holidays. 'Holiday hunger' has always been an issue, and we hope that it will continue to be spoken about and focused on in government. Read more here.
These examples are great steps towards ensuring a fair education system. We hope that this week’s announcement from Gavin Williamson maintains disadvantage at the heart of government plans, ensuring a long-term approach that considers all aspects of young peoples’ development.
As always, if you would like to include anything in an upcoming bulletin, or have any thoughts on the above, please don't hesitate to get in touch here.
Fair Education Alliance news and events
Whole School Approaches to Wellbeing Working Group (Monday July 6th, 2.00 - 3.30pm)
The purpose of this group is to develop and take forward the Fair Education Alliance's recommendations on whole school approaches to wellbeing across the education system (see pages 7-9 in the overall campaign linked here). Please RSVP here.
Overarching Campaign Working Group (Thursday July 9th, 11.00am-12.00pm)
The inequalities and disadvantage gap which prompted our collective campaign have only been exacerbated and exposed by COVID-19. At the same time, this crisis is a moment of opportunity for change and has shown what change is possible at speed and in an emergency. Please find the notes from the last meeting here and email Lauren to RSVP for the next session.
FEA Scaling Impact Awards - 88 applications received
Applications for our 3 Awards closed in May. In total, we received 88 applications across the Awards and over 40 expert judges will select the winning 17 initiatives, who we’ll announce in September.
Thank you to everyone who applied - the initiatives are all outstanding - and to the judges for your commitment and support! We would love to award all applicants, as their creativity and energy is so needed right now, but hope that through the selection process and wider FEA membership we will continue to develop applicants’ initiatives and networks.
Scaling Award
We received applications from a range of organisations looking to scale with digital, commercial and government contract models. In early June, FEA members including Save the Children (Rachel Parkin), Nesta (Emma Sutherland) and Teach First (Tessa Thomas and Jason Matthews) joined forces with sector experts from the Education Policy Institute and Social Business Trust to select the 12 Finalists. Next week, the Final Panel, including Becky Francis (EEF) and Evelyn Forde (Copthall School) will select the seven winners. Meet the judges here.
Intrapreneurship Award
Applicants' ideas cover a variety of internal innovations, ranging from widening access and participation in further education, to providing inclusive early years alternative provision and developing more meaningful school and business relationships to improve student outcomes. The fantastic Shortlisting Panel - Ambition Institute (Marie Hamer), ImpactEd (Owen Carter), Mulberry UTC (Dr. Katharine Vincent) and International Academy Greenwich (Anton Innocent) - will select the finalists in mid-July. Up to 10 organisations will progress to the Final in August where judges, including Dame Rachel de Souza, CEO of the Inspiration Trust, and Usman Ahmed, #iwill Youth Ambassador, will select our first ever cohort of education intrapreneurs. Meet the judges here.
Innovation Award
We received 45 applications with ideas focused on issues such as oracy, university access, youth entrepreneurship and development of leaders in schools. The Shortlisting Panel is currently assessing applications, and will virtually meet up to 20 shortlisted applicants in early August. We’re grateful to our judges, from FEA members Big Change (Caitlin Ross) and RSA (Laura Partridge), as well as experts such as Iesha Small, Mark Goodchild and Dennis Simms. Up to 10 Finalists will present to the Final Panel judges, including Matt Hood from Oak National Academy and Neena Lall from St Stephen's Schools and Children's Centre, who will select our next cohort of up to five Award Winners. Meet the judges here.
Solidarity against systemic structures of racism
FEA Connection Calls: We're dedicating June’s weekly FEA connection calls every Thursday 3-4pm for a space to discuss racial injustice. No need to sign-up. You can put it in your diary and we hope to see you there. Join on this link or dial in using +44 20 3855 5195, Conference ID: 985 997 376#
👉 Anti-racism resources: A collection of podcasts, books and articles to deepen our understanding of and work on anti-racism. Linked here.
👉 10 steps to non-optical allyship: Optical allyship is defined by this document as allyship that makes a statement, but which is not aimed at looking deeper into the systemic oppression that exists. Read more here.
👉 Curriculum change: The Black Curriculum amongst others have been campaigning for curriculum reform, sharing the importance of recognising Black history and culture explicitly in our education system. Find out more here.
👉 Reading on intersectionality: Naomi Kellman, Founder and Senior Manager of Target Oxbridge, a Rare Recruitment programme to support Black African and Caribbean students increase their chances of gaining places at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, shared this publication on race and ethnicity in education titled ‘Intersectionality, Critical Race Theory, and the Primacy of Racism: Race, Class, Gender, and Disability in Education'. Read more here.
👉 Funding opportunity: Resourcing Racial Justice is a new fund to support individuals and communities working towards racial justice. Although the deadline was June 15th, there is a potential extension to June 22nd in certain circumstances. Find out more here.
👉 Workshop: We are running a virtual workshop on ‘Racial Diversity in the Charity Sector’ on Wednesday, July 22nd from 10am – 12:30pm. RSVP to Ellie if you’d like to attend or want a copy of the facilitator notes and slides.
News from across the Alliance
We, the Fair Education Alliance, exist to fight inequality together. Inequality in society and education is a patchwork of disadvantage – including socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, gender, LGBTQ+ and geographic factors – that makes up the fabric of an unfair system.
Below are a few great examples of work being done to tackle these inequalities, both from the alliance and beyond:
👉 Yoti has made a commitment to the third sector to provide solutions at a discounted rate or completely free of charge. Find out more and get in touch with them here. They have also made a pledge to create free, contactless identity verification and staff ID cards for organisations and volunteer initiatives tackling the coronavirus pandemic. Find out more here.
👉 #DiverseEd hosted the 4th in a series of Diverse Educator events to connect educators who care about diversity in order to share best practice and amplify the voices of visible role models. They have kindly shared the session on Youtube, which you can view here.
👉 #IWill Campaign are working with My Life My Say and UK Youth to hold a Quarantine Question time with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer next Wednesday. Share this sign up link with the young people in your networks!
Skills Builder Universal Framework Launch: a spotlight on teachers
The Skills Builder Framework breaks down eight essential skills into teachable steps, and details how you can build these skills across all ages and educational settings. In this webinar, Evelyn Haywood (Education Network Manager at the Skills Builder Partnership) will guide you through the new and freely accessible Interactive Framework Tool, focusing on its application for teachers. RSVP here.
Learning with Parents are Hiring!
Learning with Parents are recruiting for a School Partnership Manager to work closely with a group of schools. As School Partnership Manager, you will have a key role supporting schools through their flagship Maths with Parents programme to ensure learning spans a meaningful partnership across schools and homes. You will also be involved in the piloting and rolling out of their new English with Parents programme. Find out more and apply here.
Department of Dreams Online Festival
Across 5 days you will explore multiple realities and futures together through a many and varied collection of talks, conversations, workshops and creative interventions of all kinds. RSVP here.
The Youth Endowment Fund are Hiring
They are looking for two Heads of Change to join their team; one focused on Education and one focused on the Youth Sector. Application deadlines are June 28th and July 12th respectively. Find out more here.
Ask and offers of support
If you haven't already, please fill out this short form with an ask for support (e.g. technical expertise, promotion etc) or an offer of support (e.g. volunteers, expertise, supplies etc). We will share responses with FEA members and broker relevant introductions.
Do you know any organisations offering quality assurance / kite marks for mentoring?
Power2 are currently running lots of in-house workshops for young people. However, they are often not long enough to attach an accreditation to them. As such, they are looking for a quality assurance mark to add to their internal certificates. If you know of any, please get in touch with Will here.
We are inspired by the action that you have taken during this time and are grateful for your dedication. If there is anything else we can do to support you, please let us know.
Lauren (FEA Membership and Communications Manager)