The “new normal” for schools

It’s September, and schools have opened to all pupils, albeit with new Covid-safety measures in place.

Schools have had the difficult task of balancing risk management with providing the full educational experience that pupils so desperately need, after months of school closures.
This issue of Education Business looks at how schools can move forward in a safe manner, while Covid-19 still poses a real threat.

We gather advice from a range of experts on page 36 on how schools can operate safely during the ongoing pandemic, such as by implementing robust cleaning and hygiene measures, as well as addressing staff and recruitment issues, and the safe use of school facilities after hours.

With further disruption to learning possible, caused by self isolating pupils or another lockdown, schools must have a remote learning plan in place. On page 43, Amy Cook from the Key outlines the benefits of getting a digital education platform set up, as well as what support is available from the DfE.

The government’s ten year school rebuilding programme is also examined – from both an environmental point of view (page 23), and from a design perspective (page 19).

Angela Pisanu, editor