The Educator Magazine U.K. Sept-Dec 2022 - Magazine - Page 18
Education providers
resilient as COVID
challenges continue
Ofsted has today published the third set of
briefings in a series looking at the pandemic’s
continued impact on education providers.
Ofsted has today published the
third set of briefings in a series
looking at the pandemic’s
continued impact on education
providers.
The 3 reports, which follow on from
those published in April, find that most
education providers are adapting to life
with COVID-19 and focusing on the
effectiveness of their recovery
strategies. But the legacy of the
pandemic and repeated lockdowns
continues to affect some children and
learners’ education and development.
Drawing on evidence from more than
100 inspections carried out in the
summer term and multiple focus
groups with inspectors, the reports set
out how early years settings, schools
and further education and skills
providers are helping children and
learners catch up, while dealing with
the ongoing challenges of COVID.
Ofsted Chief Inspector, Amanda
Spielman, said:
It’s clear that education providers are
responding to the ongoing challenges
of COVID with creativity and resilience.
But the pandemic and lockdowns
created some distinct problems, which
are taking time to shift. Some young
children are still behind in their
development; older children are
experiencing higher levels of exam
anxiety than usual, and difficulties
recruiting and retaining staff have
been exacerbated across all phases of
education.
I’m also concerned that some learners
in a small minority of further education
and skills providers are still not
receiving sufficient classroom
teaching or off-the-job training.
This is narrowing their opportunities
to gain practical skills and limiting their
social engagement, which could have
serious consequences on their
readiness for the workplace.