Coronavirus daily round-up: Monday 9 November
Fiona Simpson
Monday, November 9, 2020
The Education Policy Institute (EPI) is calling on the government to introduce a series of safety measures in case next year's GCSE and A-level exams are cancelled due to Covid-19.
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Each day, CYP Now will summarise the key issues affecting the children and families sector as it tackles the effects of the pandemic. The daily update signposts children’s services practitioners and leaders to the latest developments, expert views, advice and resources.
EPI calls for overhaul of exams system
The Education Policy Institute (EPI) has said the government should come up with a “contingency plan” in case next summer’s GCSE and A-level exams are cancelled due to the pandemic.
The EPI says in its latest report that “back-up” assessments should be taken by pupils instead of mock exams, and used if summer exams are cancelled again due to Covid-19.
Meanwhile, if summer exams go ahead, the government should give serious consideration to giving pupils more options on their exam papers, the report adds.
It also warns against the use of teacher assessed “until there is more evidence about their reliability and impact on different demographics of pupils.”
Teachers ‘no more likely’ to catch Covid-19
Teachers in England are no more likely to contract Covid-19 than other key workers, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics.
The ONS found there was no difference in the rates of positive cases between teachers and other professionals working outside of the home between 2 September and 16 October.
It looked at rates among teachers, other key workers including healthcare and care home workers, and other professionals who worked outside their homes on at least one day of their working week.
Government U-turn on free school meals
The government has performed yet another U-turn over providing free school meals over the school holidays.
In an announcement over the weekend, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government would provide a raft of funding to support vulnerable families.
Footballer Marcus Rashford, who led the campaign for free school meals, has praised the move but added there is”still lots of work to be done”.
