Councils should employ educational staff for 20/21

Councils should be allocated additional funding from Government to cover the cost of hiring additional teachers and support staff to support pupils on their return to schools.

Whilst there is rightly a huge focus on children returning to schools as soon as safely possible. The likelihood is that children will have to be socially distanced, meaning smaller pupil to teacher ratios, with potentially less days in school.

As councils are currently undertaking recruitment drives to employ teachers for the coming 2020/2021 year, councils should have additional government funding to hire extra teachers, support staff and all workers in the school setting to support pupils on their returns to school.

There will be issues on pupils return to schools, including gaps in learning, and more importantly, health and wellbeing issues and councils should be well prepared for these in advance, with teachers mobilised to support schools, so that when pupils do return they are best supported.

By hiring additional teachers and support staff, pupils could be socially distanced more effectively and could be spread across community buildings to provide as many teaching days as possible.

To support the health and wellbeing, and supporting the learning of all pupils on their return to school.