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SK I LLS TOP- UP Education secretary GavinWilliamson has launched a new online learning platform for workplace skills.The Skills Toolkit will give users access to free digital and numeracy courses to build skills and boost job prospects while in lockdown. The 13 courses on offer have been developed by the University of Leeds, the Institute of Coding and the Open University and topics include everydaymaths, how to create a professional online presence and an introduction to coding. Point parents and staff in the direction of the free resources at theskillstoolkit.campaign.gov.uk 7 NEWS STORIES F EATURES CHEAT SHE E T A QUIET PLACE A new poll by the Department for Opportunities, the campaign arm of the Social Mobility Foundation, has shown that 40% of children from low-income households don’t have a quiet room in which they can study. This compares to just 19% of children in households with income of more than £70,000 a year. The same survey showed that 20% of better-off households are either already using private tutors or are likely to do so during the school shutdown, compared to just 7% of low-income households. View the full results of the survey at tinyurl.com/tpquietplace OFSTED PAUSE Ofsted is unlikely to resume routine inspections this academic year, Amanda Spielman has told MPs. Inspections have been paused since mid-March.When asked about future inspections, Spielman said,“We’re going to have a year where there are going to be no tests and exam results, so there is going to be more weight, not less weight, put on the outcomes of Ofsted visits. I think it’s very important that parents aren’t left completely in the dark.”She clarified that schools will not be judged on their response to COVID-19, saying“We wouldn’t be asking for evidence of what [work] you set children.” you might have missed SUPPORT FOR DEAF PUP I LS A new report, published by the Consortium for Research in Deaf Education, shows that teaching assistants for deaf children have fallen by 10% in the past two years, while communication support workers have been cut by 7%. The National Deaf Children’s Society says the gap between deaf children and their hearing classmates will only get wider without urgent investment to reverse the decline in staff. CEO Susan Daniels OBE says, “With the right support, deaf children can achieve anything their hearing classmates can, but that support is constantly being cut just to balance the books.” Read the report at tinyurl.com/tpdeafpupils SUSPEND ACADEMISATION The Local Government Association has called for the 500 academy conversions currently in the pipeline to be temporarily suspended during the coronovirus crisis. It says this will help overstretched councils to focus on supporting schools and nurseries to stay open and coordinating sufficient school places for vulnerable children and children of key workers. Judith Blake from LGA says, “Council staff are working flat out at reduced capacity, and taking council teams away from their primary duty of care to see through applications for academy conversions is clearly not in the interest of either councils or schools during this unprecedented time.” DOMEST I C ABUSE The government has announced it will spend £3.1 million on services supporting children whomay have witnessed "appalling abuse" at home during the coronavirus lockdown. The funding will be given to councils, charities and police and crime commissioners in England andWales, and will go towards services such as counselling sessions and early intervention schemes. The National Domestic Abuse helpline, run by Refuge, reported that calls were up 49%after three weeks of lockdown. The home affairs select committee said that without a comprehensive government strategy to cope with the consequences of violence,“we will be dealing with serious consequences for a generation.” www.teachwire.net | 13 REMOTE LEARNING EVIDENCE The Education Endowment Foundation has undertaken a new review of the evidence on remote learning and has found that the quality of remote teaching ismore important than how lessons are delivered.Whether delivered live or by pre-recorded video, what mattersmost is whether the explanation builds clearly on pupils’prior learning.The review also highlights the importance of access to technology and finds that getting pupils to interact with each other in online learning environments – for example, through peer marking – can boost the impact of remote learning. R ead the full report and find evidence-based resources at educationendowmentfoun dation.org.uk/ covid-19-resources