The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic for our children and young people has been one of the most contentious and emotive aspects of this hardest year for all of us in public services.
Responding to this challenge has also shown how local government leadership, based on collaborative partnership in place, can make a difference.
Crisis does not build character, it reveals it. It shines a light on how people think, and how they operate. There is no hiding place.
In late May, the Government said schools should open more widely to certain year groups. The response of our Cabinet to this was one of my most powerful experiences of my career in local government.
Our political leaders demonstrated the power of thoughtfully considering evidence against the five tests for opening – and reflecting, evaluating and assessing the choices they faced. They were not defined by the noise, instead they listened and considered how the council should respond in our local context. They concluded that our schools and our families needed more time to be ready to increase opening. Time to undertake thorough risk assessment, to brief and support parents, and to work with school leaders and governing bodies.
The council could have said it was all up to schools, but sometimes you have to step forward, and values-based leadership is all about stating your position and sticking to your principles and values.
We advised schools that while the decision was ultimately theirs, in our view it was not safe for schools to open more widely to more children at that point.
School leaders needed more time to make arrangements and put into place the range of control measures given the high rates of transmission. The simple clarity of our position led to national media attention, but the important learning for us was how it allowed us to build upon the excellent work of schools to that point. It has made the full return of our schools in the last week a collaborative effort built upon respect, and a recognition that we care.
Calderdale’s schools really stepped up when the pandemic struck. Calderdale prides itself on its kindness and resilience, and all of our 100 schools remained open for the children of key workers and the vulnerable. We established a system with schools, ensuring someone in the child and families’ professional network saw the children who needed support every week.
Our advice changed as the ‘R’ number and COVID-19 transmission rate reduced. When we subsequently saw an increase in our rates, we established local testing sites and contact tracing to reduce infection levels again, which means most of the local restrictions have now been lifted.
The pandemic and lockdown has had a significant impact on children’s mental, physical and educational wellbeing. We are mindful of the differences in quality of remote learning opportunities for children and how this is likely to further widen inequalities. It is important that learning at school can begin again. Over recent months, our head teachers have worked tirelessly with us on arrangements to welcome children back to school, despite constantly changing and late Government guidance.
The council has worked with all our schools whether they are local authority maintained schools or academies. They all provide education to our children. Health and safety officers have supported school leaders with the completion of individual risk assessments, visiting many school buildings to ensure that the advice is bespoke and that the control measures determined meet the needs of individual schools and their unique context.
Challenges continue and will cause cost pressures -- personal protective equipment and catering in particular. We will work with our schools to assess and advocate on these issues with them.
We have seen a reduction in front door referrals to children’s social care in recent months, but fully expect the return to school to identify issues and safeguarding concerns, which we are preparing to respond to.
Head teachers are prepared for confirmed cases of COVID-19 within the school community and will work closely with Public Health England and the new National Institute for Health Protection and the council’s Public Health Team in response to outbreaks.
Our community designed testing, and our local contact tracing work based on personal contact and ‘shoe leather’ local public health personal contact stands us in good stead to respond fast and keep our communities safe.
It is clear that our ability to support the safe return of children and young people over the past fortnight has come about because of what happened with the moment of wider opening in June.
Our relationships of mutual respect and trust have been enriched, as has our determination to put our children and young people first. We will not waver from doing the right thing, whatever the future weeks and months hold.
Robin Tuddenham is chief executive of Calderdale Council
