Almost 92 percent of school leaders say that the first days went very well or excellently; at 8 percent of schools, things went moderately. Despite the general satisfaction, two-thirds encountered the necessary problems. Schools had to deal with fears of infection among staff or parents, challenges related to cleaning and hygiene, student transport, school hours, and organizing routes through the school in order to maintain sufficient distance. Nevertheless, one of the biggest challenges for education is the additional staff shortage. “The shortage of teachers and school leaders was already alarming, but this crisis is causing problems. Especially because you cannot make the classes even larger,” says AVS chair Petra van Haren. “The school leader is a crucial pivot in properly organizing education in this time of crisis and ensures that there is a good overview of the well-being and development of pupils and staff.”
Additional challenges surrounding staff shortages
One in six schools had a staff shortage when they reopened. In addition to the regular staff shortage and regular sick leave, there are also coronavirus-related absences. In most of these cases, a teacher is themselves in an at-risk group, or someone in their household is, or they have symptoms such as a cold, sneezing, or fever. In a few cases, the reason was an actual infection. On average, one teacher per school was tested; in only 5 percent of cases did that person actually test positive.
More pupils returning to school and back in view
At 20 percent of schools, all pupils are present at school again. The remaining schools are missing an average of 5 pupils, around 2.6 percent of the total number of pupils. In most cases, they are at home for a valid reason, often because of cold symptoms (33 percent). Other reasons include concerns among parents (19 percent), ordinary illness (18 percent), someone from an at-risk group in the household (17 percent), authorized absence or other reasons (16 percent), and only a small number because of an infection in the household (6 percent). “It is good to see that more and more pupils are returning to school. Many teachers and principals are looking forward to seeing the children again, and children are happy to see their classmates and teachers. In some cases, in accordance with the RIVM guidelines, it is still best for them to stay at home for a while,” says Van Haren.
“We are also very pleased that more and more pupils are back on the radar. Around 99 percent of schools have all pupils accounted for again.” Only 1.4 percent of schools are still missing one or more pupils, amounting to approximately 100 pupils in total. When schools closed in mid-March, this figure was still 5,200 pupils, and during the partial reopening it was 500 pupils.
Pupils’ progress remains fairly constant
Most schools (77 percent) say they have insight into pupils’ progress after the period of home schooling. According to the school leaders, progress has remained constant for most pupils (60 percent); 18 percent have a slight delay, 9 percent of pupils have a substantial delay, and 13 percent have progressed more quickly. Van Haren: “Further research is needed for a complete picture; there were sometimes already delays before the coronavirus crisis, but most school leaders and teachers are already gaining a fairly good understanding of the situation. They were also able to monitor pupils during home schooling. Most pupils seem to have managed well, and some have even progressed more quickly, but it is really important that schools are given the room to address any delays and to gain a clear understanding of what is still needed.”
Summer schools for vulnerable pupils, run by other organizations
There is some division of opinion regarding summer schools. A small majority (50.4 percent) of school leaders are not in favor. A total of 49.6 percent do support summer schools, of whom 23 percent do so only if they are for vulnerable children and 22 percent if they are provided by other organizations. “The people in education have worked extremely hard over the past few months. They really need a holiday to ensure that they can return to work refreshed after the summer vacation. At the same time, we see that something extra needs to be done for some children. Summer schools could be one option, but more is needed, including later in the new school year.”
A subsidy has been established to address coronavirus-related delays, but according to the AVS, the actual issue goes deeper. “There are still too many situations in which children do not have equal opportunities; it is often about more than just learning delays. Alongside all the crisis measures, we must keep this high on the agenda.”
Investment needed, especially in sufficient staffing
In addition to the advice of the Education Council, school leaders also believe that more investment should be made in education in the coming period. According to them, this should be directed toward the teacher shortage (90 percent), equal opportunities (44 percent), reading proficiency (25 percent), making tests and examinations coronavirus-proof (4 percent), and better access to the labor market (3 percent). “Over the past few months, education, together with healthcare, has been on the front line. We should be proud of so many passionate professionals.”
Public appreciation for education was already high and has risen further now that parents have experienced the significance of school for their children and for themselves. “We hope that during the next parliamentary term, politicians will make serious investments in education, partly based on the insights gained during this crisis; that means lower workloads and an appropriate salary. Aligning salaries in primary education with those in secondary education is truly urgently needed, especially for school leaders,” says Van Haren. “Working in education is fantastic, but we know that we can do even more for pupils and the quality of education if sufficient attention can be devoted to every pupil. That is very important in tackling the shortages and improving the quality of our education,” Van Haren concludes.