A duty of care and a duty to teach: educational priorities in response to the Covid-19 lockdown

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This research explores the challenges the Covid-19 crisis sets primary schools, using surveys andtelephone interviews to analyse how teachers weigh a duty of care (for their pupils' well-being andwelfare) and a duty to teach (given their responsibilities for curriculum delivery) in theirinteractions with families during the lockdown. By tracking teachers' immediate responses andlonger term reflections, the research will explore the extent to which the crisis is challenging andreshaping shared understandings of the purposes and values of primary education. This will beconsidered in the light of the roles primary schools find themselves playing as supportivecommunity hubs during the crisis, particularly in communities experiencing high levels of social disadvantage. By conducting the research within a short time frame, and comparing teachers' actions and perceptions with the concerns expressed in public debate on the impacts of Covid-19 on education, alongside the most relevant research studies, the findings will be able to i) inform decisions that will need to be made about how schools resume "business asusual" post lockdown, including any implications for high stakes tests and inspection and ii) set an agenda for public reflection on the value of the role schools play within their communities through the ways in which they combine a duty of care with a duty to teach.