Hybrid Schooling? Ofsted is worried.

The impact of the pandemic and parents working at home is making Ofsted sit up and take notice when it comes to school attendance.

Sir Martyn Oliver provided an annual report that painted a gloomy figure of pupils being effectively being educated on a part-time basis, in schools. Fridays appears to be a popular day for pupils being absent. 'Flexi-schooling - where parents home-educate their children for part of the week - is “on the rise” across England, he said' (Independent online). The report went on to cite the latest DfE figures on school abscences. 'Around 158,000 children missed at least half of their classes in the autumn and spring terms of the last academic year' (BBC News).

The report said that a “hybrid form of education”, where children learn through a mix of online and in-person lessons, was “increasingly used” for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (Send), or those with behaviour or health needs. Around 34,000 children are thought to be educated according to part-time timetables and 92,000 are estimated to be home-educated (BBC News).

Sir Oliver stated that; 'I will be wanting to discuss with ministers about the rules and the controls around flexi-schooling…'  Schools Week found that data is sparse on the prevalence of flexi-schooling. But the “Flexischooling Families UK” Facebook group suggests there are at least 280 primary schools offering it.