Our Chief Executive, John Jolly says:
“Almost two years into this crisis, there is clearly a long way to go to persuade parents that their child’s learning will not take a long-term hit. We want to see much more government action on countering this, with policymakers involving parents in that conversation and directly addressing common concerns. Although measures such as the use of face coverings, vaccinations for children and testing are polarising, the overall sense is that most parents want their child’s educational experience to return to some form of normality as quickly as possible. Clearly, a challenge to that will come in reconciling the divide in parents’ views of the best way to achieve this, particularly when it comes to the role of protective measures against the spread of Covid. However ministers make decisions on updating their guidance, they must keep in mind the impact on parents and on family life that their policies will have. Government must ensure that adequate consultation with parents occurs beforehand, with clear messaging provided once decisions are made, so that parents have clarity and can properly prepare their children.”