work from home as part of preparations for potential closures.
Richard Cairns, headmaster of Brighton College, which runs three schools, has written to parents about
plans to use online teaching platforms if they are forced to close for a long period of time.
Speaking to The Independent, Mr Cairns said: “I hope the school will not have to close but I understand why
the government is considering it because children are great spreaders of illness. My main concern has been
public exam classes because psychologically it can be quite upsetting for a kid close to a GCSE or A-level
exam to be suddenly asked to leave school.
He added: “Schools have got to all be doing this now just in case. Heads have got to make sure that within
an hour they can say the school day carries on as normal from home.”
The school has also taken the decision this week to cancel sports tournaments with other schools in the UK
for the foreseeable future amid coronavirus fears, and it is considering cancelling some trips abroad. “If
schools become heavily infected and children get coronavirus then they may infect their parents and then
their grandparents. I think we have a social obligation to limit travel and large meetings,” he said.
Ian Phillips, chair of the Independent Schools Council’s digital strategy group, said a number of heads in
the UK have begun talking about how to ensure they can still teach if they have to close.
“This is a worrying situation and everyone is talking about it,” said Mr Phillips, who is director of
computing ICT at Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School. “Schools are talking about what would be
realistic.” Online lessons and using videos to teach are being considered by some schools, while staff are
assessing what devices students have to see if home learning is possible, he added.
Schools in Hong Kong, China and Japan have already been shut for weeks because of coronavirus. Mark
Steed, principal of Kellett School, the British International School in Hong Kong, has been teaching pupils
remotely since the school closed in January and UK headteachers have approached him for advice.
Speaking to The Independent, he said: “School leaders are sharing best practice on how to prepare online
learning platforms. People are trying to learn from the experience we have had out in Hong Kong. I think
what people haven’t thought about are the welfare issues and the strain on staff over a long period of time. It
really is a marathon. It isn’t like a couple of days off for snow day.”
On the other challenges that home learning has posed, Mr Steed added: “This has shown that you need
technology. We have had to lend laptops to people. We have a situation where two or three laptops are at
home but there are two adults and three children trying to work. Kids are fighting over the kit.”
And the situation is likely to be worse for state school pupils in the UK who may struggle to access any
digital devices at home for their studies, headteachers have warned.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “Extended school
closures would be an unprecedented step, and schools would require guidance and support from the
government. The priority must be to minimise the disruption to the learning of students.
“There are a number of ways in which this could be achieved through the use of online learning support –
resources, assessment and feedback – as well as pre-prepared resources such as video tutorials. However,
the practicalities need to be carefully considered. For example, this sort of learning support requires
students to have the necessary technology, and any online programmes require internet access. This would
require planning and resourcing.”
He added: “We will be looking for the Department for Education (DfE) to talk with us about detailed
contingency planning so that we are able to provide the perspective of school and college leaders.”
Earlier this week the health secretary, Matt Hancock, said he did not recommend the “cancelling of mass