Protecting face-to-face education

During the current surge in Omicron cases, the education secretary Nadhim Zahawi has appealed to school leaders to do everything in their power to protect face-to-face learning and keep schools open.

Acknowledging that operational challenges could be caused by workforce shortages, an open letter by Zahawi encourages schools to consider implementing a flexible approach to learning, and is urging retired teachers and those that have left the profession to come back to the classroom.

Keeping schools well ventilated to reduce the spread of the virus has become a major focus in schools. As the virus is mainly transmitted by air, keeping spaces well ventilated can dilute the virus, while air cleaning technology is also being investigated. Read the latest on ventilation and air purification on page 23.

Digital skills are increasingly important for young people’s future, but how do schools know that their provision is meeting the evolving demands of the 21st century? Page 53 shares how schools can develop their computing provision with a new evaluation tool from the National Centre for Computing Education, called the Computing Quality Framework (CQF).

Angela Pisanu, editor