Looking beyond the present closure of schools to a “new normal”, and addressing the issue of disadvantage (Letters, 18 May), the obvious answer is to give those children who have fallen further behind during this crisis the advantage that has benefited so many in private education: smaller class sizes. The current government guidance of class sizes of 15, if extended beyond the lockdown, as opposed to the state-school norm of up to 30 children, would hugely benefit all pupils. The fly in the ointment is the shortage of teachers. However, those who have left the job because it’s just too exhausting to endure the brickbats of a hypercritical and interfering government, press and public could be tempted to rediscover the joy of teaching, if there is a greater appreciation for their role in building a resilient generation.
Annie Clouston
Barnard Castle, County Durham
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