Children experiencing ‘unorthodox’ schooling since pandemic, Ofsted says
Many children are experiencing “unorthodox” schooling methods since the pandemic in England, according to Ofsted’s latest report.
The education watchdog highlighted concerns about an increase in part-time timetables, hybrid learning and growing attendance issues – especially affecting vulnerable students.
In his first annual report as Ofsted chief inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver described the current state of education as “fractured and fragmented” and warned that pupil attendance remained a “stubborn and damaging issue”.
He also said there were significant challenges which persisted for schools and the wider sector.
Attendance levels have yet to recover from pre-pandemic norms. Government data shows that nearly 20% of pupils were persistently absent during the 2023/24 autumn and spring terms, nearly double the rate before the COVID-19 outbreak.
Sir Martyn linked the rise in absenteeism to shifts in family routines, suggesting parents working from home were able to keep their children off school.
He pointed to increasing instances of “flexi-schooling” – where parents home-school their children for part of the week, contributing to the instability in their learning.
Chief Ofsted inspector Sir Martyn Oliver. Pic: PA
Sir Martyn said approximately 34,000 children are now on part-time timetables – where pupils attend school for only part of the week. The Department for Education has said this should only be a last resort.
He added: “The spread of part-time timetables suggests they are becoming more readily used, which cannot be good.”
Sir Martyn said they should only be used as a short-term measure and in consultation with parents or carers.
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Thousands of children missing school
Home-schooling has also more than doubled since 2017, with 92,000 children now educated at home.
Sir Martyn said their provision was not Ofsted’s responsibility, and that local authorities and the Department for Education should have oversight of this area.
The report also touched on the education watchdog’s own reforms following public scrutiny and the death of headteacher Ruth Perry, whose school was downgraded from the top “outstanding” grade to the lowest, “inadequate”, after an inspection.
“As we introduce changes, we won’t shy away from calling out unacceptable education or care,” the chief inspector said.
“But we will also highlight and champion great work.”
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Ruth Perry’s sister speaking back in September
There are plans to replace single-word school grades with detailed report cards, with consultations on new frameworks due in January.
When asked about the potential for the new system to cause additional pressure on schools and teachers, Sir Martyn said: “It would be an opportunity to showcase their strengths.”
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More than 87,000 teachers have left the profession in the last two years, and schools are struggling to recruit and retain skilled staff.
The report said the high turnover, especially in nurseries, disrupted early development, with children in low-income areas and those with special educational needs and disabilities feeling the impact most acutely.
UK
Teenager living in ‘continuous pain’ after surgeon Dr Yaser Jabbar carried out ‘inappropriate’ operations
A 15-year-old boy who was operated on twice by a now unlicensed Great Ormond Street surgeon is living with “continuous” pain.
Finias Sandu has been told by an independent review the procedures he underwent on both his legs were “unacceptable” and “inappropriate” for his age.
The teenager from Essex was born with a condition that causes curved bones in his legs.
Aged seven, a reconstructive procedure was carried out on Finias’s left leg, lengthening the limb by 3.5cm.
A few years later, the same operation was carried out on his right leg which involved wearing an invasive and heavy metal frame for months.
He has now been told by independent experts these procedures should not have taken place and concerns have been raised over a lack of imaging being taken prior to the operations.
Yaser Jabbar rescinded his UK medical licence last year. Pic: LinkedIn
His doctor at London’s prestigious Great Ormond Street Hospital was former consultant orthopaedic surgeon Yaser Jabbar. Sky News has spoken to others he treated.
Mr Jabbar also did not arrange for updated scans or for relevant X-rays to be conducted ahead of the procedures.
The surgeries have been found to have caused Finias “harm” and left him in constant pain.
“The pain is there every day, every day I’m continuously in pain,” he told Sky News.
“It’s not something really sharp, although it does get to a certain point where it hurts quite a lot, but it’s always there. It just doesn’t leave, it’s a companion to me, just always there.”
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Finias’s surgery pictures
Care of over 700 patients being assessed
Mr Jabbar rescinded his UK medical licence in January last year after working at Great Ormond Street between 2017 and 2022.
The care of his 700-plus patients is being assessed, with some facing corrective surgery, among them Finias.
“Trusting somebody is hard to do, knowing what they have done to me physically and emotionally, you know, it’s just too much to comprehend for me,” he said.
“It wasn’t something just physically, like my leg pain and everything else. It was emotionally, because I put my trust in that specific doctor. My parents and I don’t really understand the more scientific terms, we just went by what he said.”
Doctors refused to treat Finias because of his surgeries
Finias and his family relocated to their native Romania soon after the reconstructive frame was removed from his right leg in the summer of 2021.
The pain worsened and they sought advice from doctors in Romania, who refused to treat Finias because of the impact of his surgeries.
Dozens of families seeking legal claims
His mother Cornelia Sandu is “furious” and feels her trust in the hospital has been shattered. They are now among dozens of families seeking legal claims.
Cyrus Plaza from Hudgell Solicitors is representing the family. He said: “In cases where it has been identified that harm was caused, we want to see Great Ormond Street Hospital agreeing to pay interim payments of compensation for the children, so that if they need therapy or treatment now, they can access it.”
Finias is accessing therapy and mental health support as he prepares for corrective surgery later in the year.
A spokesperson for Great Ormond Street Hospital told Sky News: “We are deeply sorry to Finias and his family, and all the patients and families who have been impacted.
“We want every patient and family who comes to our hospital to feel safe and cared for. We will always discuss concerns families may have and, where they submit claims, we will work to ensure the legal process can be resolved as quickly as possible.”
Finias with his mother and sister
Service not ‘safe for patients’
Sky News has attempted to contact Mr Jabbar.
An external review into the wider orthopaedic department at the hospital began in September 2022.
It was commissioned after the Royal College of Surgeons warned the hospital’s lower limb reconstruction service was not “safe for patients or adequate to meet demand”.
The investigation is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Sir Keir Starmer has said closer ties with the EU will be good for the UK’s jobs, bills and borders ahead of a summit where he could announce a deal with the bloc.
The government is set to host EU leaders in London on Monday as part of its efforts to “reset” relations post-Brexit.
A deal granting the UK access to a major EU defence fund could be on the table, according to reports – but disagreements over a youth mobility scheme and fishing rights could prove to be a stumbling block.
The prime minister has appeared to signal a youth mobility deal could be possible, telling The Times that while freedom of movement is a “red line”, youth mobility does not come under this.
His comment comes after Kaja Kallas, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, said on Friday work on a defence deal was progressing but “we’re not there yet”.
Sir Keir met European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen later that day while at a summit in Albania.
Ursula von der Leyen and Sir Keir had a brief meeting earlier this week. Pic: PA
If agreed, the deal will be the third in two weeks, following trade agreements with India and the US.
Sir Keir said: “First India, then the United States – in the last two weeks alone that’s jobs saved, faster growth and wages rising.
“More money in the pockets of British working people, achieved through striking deals not striking poses.
“Tomorrow, we take another step forward, with yet more benefits for the United Kingdom as the result of a strengthened partnership with the European Union.”
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Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said she is “worried” about what the PM might have negotiated.
Ms Badenoch – who has promised to rip up the deal with the EU if it breaches her red lines on Brexit – said: “Labour should have used this review of our EU trade deal to secure new wins for Britain, such as an EU-wide agreement on Brits using e-gates on the continent.
“Instead, it sounds like we’re giving away our fishing quotas, becoming a rule-taker from Brussels once again and getting free movement by the back door. This isn’t a reset, it’s a surrender.”
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