Teachers could strike over virtual learning plan at Bacup school

A row has broken out over whether plans for a Lancashire school to teach some of its students maths using a teacher in Devon amount to a return to the remote learning of the Covid lockdown era.

The Valley Leadership Academy in Bacup told parents last month that top set pupils in years 9-11 would have a ‘virtual’ maths teacher when they begin the new academic year in September.

Star Academies, the trust which runs the school, says a qualified teacher will also be present in the classroom to provide face-to-face support to the youngsters – and insists that the novel lessons, delivered from 300 miles away, will offer students a consistency that staff recruitment challenges might otherwise have denied them.

However, as the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) revealed last month, the move has sparked uproar from the National Education Union (NEU), which says its members are willing to go on strike over the change.

The organisation has set up a confidential online petition in opposition to the new arrangement which it claims has attracted more than 500 signatures.

NEU Lancashire branch secretary, Ian Watkinson, says it demonstrates the “strength of feeling” against the virtual teaching scenario – one which he likens to the online lessons delivered the length and breadth of the country during the pandemic lockdowns of 2020/21.

“We were forced into doing the best we could with what we had at the time – and people are still feeling the impact of it – so it just does not feel right [to return to that willingly].

“It’s absolutely fine to use visual aids and other things on screen from time to time, but [not] to have a set up [from the outset] that, ‘This your lesson, it will be on screen’.

“You’re not getting a fully rounded education experience if it’s being delivered in that way, however high quality that teacher might be – you can’t replicate human interaction,” Mr.Watkinson said.

However, a Star Academies source excoriated the characterisation of the virtual teacher plan at The Valley as being even remotely akin to the remote lessons delivered at the height of the pandemic – describing the two as “fundamentally different”.

“These are live, structured lessons delivered by expert teachers, with pupils in school, equipped by excellent technology and a second adult physically present in the classroom to support teaching, learning and behaviour.

“This is not a passive or isolated experience – it is structured, responsive and engaging.

“Any comparison with Covid-era learning is nonsensical,” the source said.

The NEU says its petition has been accompanied by various expressions of concern from parents, including that pupils need to be able to “connect” with their teacher – and not have another aspect of their lives defined by technology rather than face-to-face interaction.

One signatory is quoted as saying:  “It’s the start of watering down the quality of teaching. Our children deserve better and the full attention of a qualified teacher.”

The trust said it was happy to speak to any parent who had concerns, but added that parents of pupils in virtual teacher-led classes it has piloted in schools in Blackpool and Bradford have spoken of “the transformational impact the model has had on their children’s learning”.

It also stressed that the NEU petition is open to anybody to sign nationwide and so is “not a verified reflection of staff and parent views within Star schools”.

A Star Academies spokesperson said: “This is about equity. For too long, pupils in disadvantaged communities have had to settle for inconsistent teaching or long-term supply cover in core subjects.

“The virtual teacher model allows us to deploy exceptional teachers in classrooms where they are most needed.

“It costs more, it demands more, and it reflects our belief that every child – regardless of postcode – deserves access to the very best education. We will not compromise on that.”