Covid-19: Measuring the impact of school responses

I listened with interest to the Business as (un)usual: Supporting vulnerable learners through Covid roundtable (#CovidRoundTable). We heard of families pushed to the limits through social distancing, of vulnerable children without the safety net that schools provide and of the teachers working in very difficult circumstances.

It was amazing to hear how schools have taken the challenge to provide services that meet the needs of their children with their diminished resources. It seemed that no two responses were the same but all were aiming for similar outcomes. See the roundtable report here.

It was clear both from the round table and from a wider review of what teachers are reporting that they are rightly proud of what they’ve done and are also looking for some way to capture its impact. Some of this is linked to inevitable concerns such as how ‘the powers that be’ might assess decisions on spend post crisis. But teachers and school leaders have expressed interest in how - once the immediate crisis has passed - they can start to capture what they did and the impact it had. This is to celebrate success but - perhaps most importantly - to capture those things that can permanently and positively inform their school practice and the wider system.

So here is my contribution to the debate - later than planned as I had symptoms shortly after the roundtable! Here are the beginnings of an outcomes framework that seeks to capture the extent of the current schools context. During the roundtable I jotted down all the inputs, outputs and outcomes I picked up from the roundtable and have attempted to arrange them into some sort of structure. The aim of this outcomes framework offering is to provide a:

Logical basis to review the impact of school responses to Coronavirus,
Frame for sharing valuable inputs and good practice outputs with others.

The outcomes framework is clearly a work in progress, so please share and comment and send links to inputs and outputs. I will add them to the framework so that it can be immediately useful for sharing good practice. Let me know how it could be more useful and I'd be really interested to hear if you have already gone down this route.

At this point I have not identified which outputs lead to which outcomes – as that would be repetitive and too restrictive for now. I have also not broken outcomes into short, medium or long. However, you should be able to plot your activities through the framework. Grab a pen and start linking the elements that best represent what you have done – or want to do – and what you have achieved.

I have grouped the outcomes raised at the roundtable in five main themes which reflect response, recovery and re-purpose phases, i.e. meeting immediate needs, getting back to normal (or new normal) and reframing the long term purpose of education, they are:

Physical health and emotional well-being of children
Learning and academic achievement
Getting back to school
Informing the future of education
Physical health and emotional well-being of workforce

The point was well made during the roundtable that what schools are doing now may be different to what is being done during the summer term and different again from September and so the emphasis on these outcome groups may change over the coming months.

Particular attention is also given in the outcomes framework to how the Coronavirus disproportionately affects outcomes one to four for disadvantaged and vulnerable children. The effects of social distancing are more severe and the gaps in attainment and well-being are expected to widen. The support structures for many caring for children with disabilities are no longer there. Mitigating this has motivated the response of many schools. We should also look to meeting the needs of these children better in long term - it is essential that equity and social justice are built in from the beginning of the ‘re-boot’.

Many of the outputs in the framework are not new for schools who have long been working within a system focused on academic success, to meet the needs of disadvantaged and vulnerable children. Impact in these areas is not be rewarded by the system. Perhaps by showing the impact of this work, during this challenging time, it’s status will rise in the education system reboot.

Support social distancing and self-isolation
Promote good sanitation and hand washing
Provide childcare for key workers
Repurpose school activities to focus on meeting the immediate needs of children and their families
Repurpose school to assist with the Coronavirus response (not education related)
Undertake initial needs assessments of children
Undertake ongoing needs assessments of children
Triage (or RAG rate) children based on need
Prepare and distribute home learning packs
Prepare and distribute online learning resources
Distribute food and food vouchers to families
Provide ‘grab bags’ containing essential items
Daily calls and welfare checks to families and children
Bereavement support
Signpost to support and services
Refer to social care and services
Provide laptops to families
Provide data dongles to families
Regular email or face to face (via the internet) remote learning support
Support parents to support their child’s learning
Doorstep visits to children and families
Deliver new models of teaching remotely (online lessons and tutorials)
Increase pastoral care activity
Increase emotional and physical health activity
Collaborate with other schools to provide central hubs
Collaborate with service providing organisations
Develop long term partnerships
Policy advocacy and communications activity
Share information and good practice locally and across school networks
Maintain good governance and oversight
Operate staff rota to provide reasonable breaks
Increase support measures available to staff
Work in central hubs to share staff resources

Physical health and emotional well-being of children

Contribute to reducing the transmission of the virus
Children of key workers have a safe childcare
Children have opportunities for enrichment and fun
Children and families manage living in close proximity
Children’s vulnerability is monitored and action take to mitigate increased levels of vulnerability
Leavers are supported with the transition and have appropriate 'closure'

Learning and academic achievement

Children have access to remote learning materials
Children have access to the internet
Children have access to teachers or tutors to assist with learning
Children have access to basic learning equipment (i.e. paper, pens, books)
Parents better equipped for home learning
Children engaged in learning

Particular attention to disadvantaged and vulnerable children

Recognised when a child’s vulnerability has increased
Reduced a child’s vulnerability
Children have basic needs met
Children are protected from abuse, exploitation and risky behaviours.
Children in alternative provision have maintained contact with staff
Mitigated the growth in the attainment gap
Children not on the radar of social services, but who may be on the fringes get the services they need

Getting back to school

Solutions for educating children, through diverse and seamless delivery styles that can withstand the public health needs of the nation.
Increase in partnerships to support education nationally and locally
New educational research results
An effective Covid-19 exit strategy is in place
Measures in place to address the emotional and academic damage caused
Measures in place to address any increased gap the attainment of disadvantaged children
Transitioning children are supported in their new environment
Schools and communities working together to aid recovery

Informing the future of education

Schools are better linked into the civil contingencies effort, as both a recipient of support and community asset.
Systems proven to be vital during the Covid-19 response (i.e. food vouchers) are ready to deploy the instant they are required.
Local and central Government receive and take into account the views of schools to inform policy and decision making.
Impact of school responses to social distancing, especially for vulnerable and disadvantaged children, are used to inform education policy
Resilience built in to education system with emergency protocols in place and ready to deploy immediately
Re-design of the content of the curriculum and its delivery

Physical health and emotional well-being of workforce

Maintained well-being of the workforce
Workforce feel safe in their work setting

Covid-19: Measuring the impact of school responses

Covid-19 School Response Outcomes Framework

Inputs

Outputs

Outcomes

See the report from the Covid-19 round table