The Impact of COVID-19 School Closures on Education Inequality in London
Appendix 1 London Assembly Education Panel – 30 September 2020 Transcript of Agenda Item 9 – The Impact of COVID-19 School Closures on Education Inequality in London Jennette Arnold OBE AM (Chair): That brings us to today’s main item for discussion on the impact of COVID-19 school closures on education inequality in London. Can I welcome our guests? We have Joanne McCartney, Deputy Mayor for Education and Childcare - welcome, Joanne - and Stuart Darke, Regional Organiser, Greater London Regional Centre, for the NASUWT. Welcome, Stuart. I did check earlier, and I think everybody is happy with first name terms. We have with us Rebecca Montacute, Research and Policy Manager, Sutton Trust; Rob Coe, Senior Associate, Education Endowment Foundation (EEF); and Sarah Wilkins, Senior Manager, Education and Youth Team, Greater London Authority (GLA). It is nice when we know the public are following us and are interested in our work. A constituent has set out the impact that school closures are having on her, and the testing regime, and I just thought I would read in what she had to say to me: “Dear Jennette, I have three children. My middle child returned to school on Thursday, 10 September. On Monday, 28 September, we received a letter from the school telling us that she needed to self-isolate for two weeks as a close contact had tested positive for coronavirus. By the time she returns to school, she will have spent barely 50% of this academic year at school. This could also be a recurring problem. There is no limit on the amount of time students may have to self-isolate this year.
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