Ex-teachers urged to return to the classroom a day a week as heads prepare for a return to online learning

The Government is calling on ex-teachers to return to classrooms to help plug gaps created by increased staff absences due to the fast-spreading Omicron variant.
Some pupils have been asked to take laptops home before Christmas just in case Picture: Ben Birchall/PA WireSome pupils have been asked to take laptops home before Christmas just in case Picture: Ben Birchall/PA Wire
Some pupils have been asked to take laptops home before Christmas just in case Picture: Ben Birchall/PA Wire

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said with cases of Omicron increasing, they want to ensure schools and colleges have enough staff to provide face-to-face education.

It comes amid reports that some schools are already experiencing “very severe low attendance” among teachers and pupils ahead of the Christmas break.

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School heads are preparing for the possibility of having to switch to online learning next term - and some pupils have been asked to take laptops home before Christmas just in case.

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi Picture credit: James Manning/PA WireEducation Secretary Nadhim Zahawi Picture credit: James Manning/PA Wire
Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi Picture credit: James Manning/PA Wire

Those who are recently retired, or trained as a teacher and moved career, are being encouraged to consider a return to teaching for as little as a day a week via a registered supply agency.

The Government says the normal checks apply and people should ideally sign up by Christmas Eve to be ready to join the workforce in January.

Mr Zahawi said: “Although 99.9% of schools have consistently been open this term, with cases of Omicron increasing we must make sure schools and colleges have the teachers available to remain open for face-to-face education.

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“Anyone who thinks they can help should get the process started now on the Get Into Teaching website, and everyone should get boosted now to help reduce the amount of disruption from the virus in the new year.”

The Government says the Disclosure and Barring Service can meet spikes in demand and can meet its current turnaround times of 80% of Enhanced Checks issued within 14 days.

It comes after the latest official figures showed that 2.4% of teachers and school leaders were absent from schools in England due to Covid-19 related reasons on December 9, up from 2.0% on November 25.

But education unions and Labour have warned that the Government’s actions are “unlikely” to be enough to solve the problem with staff shortages.

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Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “This is all coming very late in the day for a situation which is already critical and has been so for some time, and the initiative will need to be well publicised, promoted and supported in order to have any degree of success.

“It is also important to emphasise that even then it is very unlikely to be enough to solve a problem at such a scale as this, and the Government does need to do much more in terms of supporting control measures, such as testing and ventilation, in order to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus.”

Rebecca Boomer-Clark, chief executive of Academies Enterprise Trust, which runs 57 schools, said: “We’re making sure all children from Year 3 through to Year 13 are going home for the Christmas holidays with a chromebook and MiFi dongle where needed, so that if we have to move to virtual learning everyone is set up and ready to go.”

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