To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what training has been provided to teachers to help them adapt to remote teaching.
Answered on
11 September 2020
We expect schools to have a strong contingency plan for remote education in place in case of any localised disruption to face-to-face education. We have asked schools to look to align the quality of their existing provision against the expectations set out in the published guidance on curriculum and remote education provision. This guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools#section-3-curriculum-behaviour-and-pastoral-support.
The Department has provided a range of resources to support schools in delivering remote education. This includes examples of teaching practice during COVID-19, which provides an opportunity for schools to learn from each other’s approaches to remote education, as well as our work with sector-led initiatives such as Oak National Academy.
Examples of teaching practise during COVID-19 are available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/remote-education-practice-for-schools-during-coronavirus-covid-19.
The Department has made £4.84 million available for Oak National Academy, both for the summer term of the academic year 2019-20 and for the 2020-21 academic year, to provide video lessons for Reception up to Year 11. This will include specialist content for pupils with SEND. Oak will remain a free optional resource for 2020-21.
The Government is also funding expert technical support to help schools set up secure user accounts for Google and Microsoft’s education platforms. Schools can apply for
government-funded support through The Key for School Leaders to get set up on one of two free-to-use digital education platforms: G Suite for Education or Office 365 Education. The Key provides feature comparisons on the two platforms to enable schools to make an informed choice, as well as case studies on how schools are making the most of these platforms. Information is available here: https://schoolleaders.thekeysupport.com/
The Department’s EdTech Demonstrator programme has also been helping schools and colleges access training and advice on remote teaching during the COVID-19 outbreak. Further information about the programme is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/edtech-demonstrator-schools-and-colleges-successful-applicants/about-the-programme.
While schools and colleges were closed to most pupils, the support package provided by the Demonstrators included direct one-to-one advice and training, along with an offer of online tutorials, webinars and recorded content.
The Demonstrator programme will continue to offer Continuing Professional Development to all state-funded schools and colleges in England until March 2021, and the Demonstrators will continue to bridge the gap between technology available to schools and colleges and successfully using that technology to deliver education. Support can be tailored to meet individual needs, while considering start point, confidence in technology practices and the time available to senior leaders. Transitioning back to the classroom, blended teaching approaches, creating a remote education contingency plan and implementing a digital strategy are just a few examples of how the Demonstrators can support schools and colleges.