It’s not been the smoothest start to 2021 - particularly for school leaders. Just one day into the term they were told that their schools would partially close with less than 12 hours notice, leaving them scrambling to pick up where they left off last time.
As always, their stoicism shone through, and by the end of the week - remote learning was back in place and schools had safely reopened for those who needed to be there. And while school leaders took this month in their stride - their sudden need to drop plans and revert back to crisis mode has been reflected in their reading habits this month. Take a look for yourself…
5. Staff briefing: how to design and deliver remote lessons
With remote learning top of the agenda yet again, school leaders have been heading to this staff briefing in their droves.
This package of content is essentially a one-stop-shop for school leaders needing to upskill their staff to deliver great remote provision. It includes an editable staff briefing to help teachers feel confident about planning and delivering remote lessons, plus a handout for staff containing hints and tips.
Members or schools on a free trial can read this article here.
4. Remote learning policy: model
And with the revival of remote learning, comes the need to follow due process; from ensuring consistency for those at home, to keeping on top of data protection guidelines. School leaders are able to meet this need using our lawyer-approved, ready-to-adapt model policy - which is likely why it saw a spike in downloads this month.
Members or schools on a free trial can access this model policy here.
3. Partial closure guidance: summary
The third most-read article is a summary of the latest DfE guidance on partial school closure. We first published this on 12 January and highlighted that even though school leaders were likely following a lot of this guidance already (after all - not their first rodeo), some key things had changed. We went on to update this article again just last week, in light of new recommendations from Public Health England around testing - which explains its high number of views this month.
Members or schools on a free trial can access this article here.
2. Remote learning: self-evaluation form (SEF)
Back to remote learning, and our second most-read article is our Remote Learning SEF - a downloadable template for each school phase to help them identify areas for improvement in their provision and plan their next steps. The Education Endowment Foundation and top school leaders have also added their evidence-based recommendations to this piece.
School leaders referred to this SEF a lot when we first published it last year, and we've updated it again this month to reflect the DfE's remote education review framework.
Members or schools on a free trial can read this article here.
1. Need-to-know: DfE publishes partial closure guidance
Our most-read article of the month was a need-to-know update. We send these to members when there’s an official update, and they need information that cuts through the noise, tells them what’s changed, and what to do next.
We published this short update on partial closure just before our third most-read article, and gave a headline summary of the key changes, in advance of the full guidance that quickly followed.
Members can read this need-to-know here.
The articles above are really a testament to how swiftly school leaders adapt in the face of change to keep the education of their pupils afloat. Nonetheless, here's hoping our most-read resources from February will paint a calmer picture. In the meantime, if you’re not a member, but would like to find out more about how we can support your school - download our explainer for more information on membership, or head straight here to view pricing and join today.