The ‘New Normal’ Series: A Practical Checklist For September

Schools will face a difficult time in the Autumn. There are predictions of a ‘second wave’ of coronavirus as well as potential local lockdowns and a high rate of absence due to self-isolation.  

This is the last in a series of articles about the practical issues that will face schools as they return to the ‘new normal’ of teaching. We’ve gathered ideas from our partner schools and knowledge of educational technology to help you meet these challenges. The checklist below brings together all the areas covered in this series. Which are you prepared most for as you return to school?   

1. Support for new teachers

• Do you have detailed induction plans for new staff?
• Can you explain how your school will deal with the ‘new normal’?
• Can you explain your hybrid learning systems?
• Do you have a guide to your ‘recovery curriculum’?
• Do all new staff have a mentor (not a line manager) to turn to for support?
• Can they watch recorded lessons to get a feel for your school?

Read the full blog here.

• Have you had the chance to reflect on your remote teaching experience and highlight any gaps in your ability?
• Do you have dedicated INSET time to apply new ideas and ways of working, to your own phase or department team?
• Are you able to give feedback on new systems and ideas once you have been able to apply them to your classroom or working area?
• Are you able to continue long-term professional development in areas that are important to you around the restrictions of the ‘new normal’?

Read the full blog here.

• Do you have all the resources you need in your classroom or ‘bubble’, or have you arranged ways to safely access them?
  
• Have you practiced how children move safely around the school and enter and leave your classroom?
  
• Have you adapted your teaching plan to the possibility of remote teaching being needed?
  
• Do you know how your students can safely access pastoral support, especially at short notice?
  
• Are you confident that you and all your students (including those new to the school) can use the IT systems needed in the ‘new normal’?
• Do you know how your school expects you to communicate with parents – and do they know this? 

Read the full blog here.

• Is your school looking ahead and anticipating the need for extra staff as early as the spring term of 2021?
  
• Are you part of the Early Career Framework or working to join it in 2021?
  
• Do you have a recruitment portal on your school website that shows how you are supporting staff in the ‘new normal’?
  
• Are you prepared to conduct remote interviews if interviewees are unable to travel to your school?

Read the full blog here.