This is about as muddle-headed as you can get...
Children of key workers not attending school, say teachers
Absence of pupils entitled to emergency schooling in England sparks safety fears
Vulnerable children entitled to a place in emergency school provision in England during the coronavirus outbreak failed to turn up on Monday, raising concerns among headteachers about their safety.
School leaders worked frantically over the weekend, contacting parents to find out which pupils were in need of a place and to encourage families where possible to keep their children safe at home, amid complaints of a lack of clarity and leadership from central government.
Their efforts appeared to have paid off on Monday morning, with some headteachers reporting that staff vastly outnumbered pupils – in one secondary school there were five teachers for every student so staff were sent home.
There had been fears that schools providing a skeleton childcare service for children of key workers in the fight against Covid-19, as well as the most vulnerable pupils, would be inundated with students, but in the event some multi-academy trusts reported absence rates of up to 97%.
“We are very grateful to parents,” said one school leader. “But we are really worried, particularly for our most vulnerable children. We are very concerned we are not seeing those children.” One trust said around four out of five children identified as vulnerable failed to attend...
Relief at lack of demand for skeleton service mixed with concern for some absentees
www.theguardian.com
