Majority of school staff need training in remote learning

Three quarters of school staff need training in remote learning in the UK, according to a survey of more than 2,400 school staff carried out by Tes Global.
 
The findings come as the government announces schools will be required to ensure they have well developed plans in place for high quality online learning to support remote learning in case they need to close or pupils are shielding.
 
The survey also found that 69% of school staff had not received any training in remote learning during lockdown and that the most popular means for delivering remote lessons was to simply email work to pupils.
 
Encouragingly the survey also found that lockdown had increased school staff confidence in using technology and 79% reported they were more likely to use technology in their teaching practice once the situation normalised.
 
Lord Jim Knight, Chief Education and External Officer at Tes Global said: “These findings should send a strong message to government that the requirements for schools to have well-developed online learning plans in place are challenging to say the least. It’s clear from our research that most school staff need - and want - training in remote learning if it is to play an integral and effective role in supporting teaching and learning from September.”
 
David Weston, CEO Teacher Development Trust said: “School leaders and the government need to ensure that teachers can switch seamlessly between in-person teaching and online. This is not simple, and providing the right training and support is essential if high quality teaching and learning is to be available to those isolating or in local lockdowns.”
 
The survey also finds that 58% of teachers have produced more content for lessons to be delivered remotely.

Over a quarter of teachers (27%) found that school closures had not affected their collaboration with other teachers, however 49% of teachers reported the need to work more independently.

The top five ways to deliver lessons remotely were emailing work to pupils; sharing activities on school website; Using edtech platforms; Live video; and Recorded video.