How can we support the most vulnerable pupils through Covid-19?

The online event brought together ten expert contributors with almost 200 cross-sector attendees to discuss the unprecedented challenges schools are facing during the coronavirus outbreak – and how we can begin to tackle them collectively. 

Care and protection for vulnerable children and their families was at the heart of the conversation, with school leaders sharing how they have responded on the frontline - including providing laptops, handing out food packages, providing remote support for parents and making home visits to at-risk pupils.  

A record of the conversation has now been published so that more schools can learn from the insights and resources shared in the roundtable. 

Download the full report here.

Tom Rees, Executive Director of School Leadership at Ambition Institute, co-hosted the event. He says: 

“This is such an important and urgent issue for the education sector, and not one that any school, organisation or individual can tackle alone. The disadvantage gap has always been a challenge for schools and coronavirus has just made it worse.

“From my time as a headteacher, I know how hard teachers and school leaders work under normal circumstances to care for their most vulnerable pupils. In a time of a global pandemic, the challenges of this task are multiplied and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

“In recent weeks, teachers and school leaders been part of a pivot of the education system on a scale we have never seen before and in the face of huge adversity. Frankly, I'm in awe of the work that colleagues are doing up and down the country at the moment. If ever there's an advert for the profession and for us to be proud of the role our schools play as civic institutions, this is it.

“I hope that through documenting last week’s rich discussion in this way, can provide helpful insights, guidance and suggestions to help inform the important work in the weeks and months to come.” 

Download the full report here.