Mr Pursglove toured both Beanfield Primary School and Corby Business Academy to see the challenges faced by both primary and secondary levels of the education sector and will feed back his findings to Education Minister Gavin Williamson this week.  He was accompanied by Trust CEO Dr Andrew Campbell and shown around the schools by their respective Principals, Sam Eathorne and Simon Underwood.

He saw how the distancing measures are adhered to and how our schools and staff have responded to the Covid-19 pandemic, both in terms of reopening on a limited basis, and also in planning for greater student numbers from September.

CEO Dr Campbell spoke about the successes and challenges faced and talked about practical issues such as managing social distancing, transport and making sure that students’ attainment is not adversely affected long term by the lockdown.

After the visit Mr Pursglove said: ‘I have been really keen to see first-hand the huge efforts that local schools are making and I am really conscious of the enormous sacrifices that so many teachers are making in order to get our young people back into classroom settings.

‘What is so important is that we ensure that as much catch up as possible is available and electronic learning is in place and is the best that it can be and that students that are able to come into school get the best learning experience possible and this is done responsibly and safely.

‘As a local MP it is crucial to see exactly what is going on and to hear what the challenges are so I can go back to Westminster and talk to ministers about what more we need to do in Government to help this process along.

‘One of the key things we can do to help {with the process} is as much warning as possible, so the earlier we can get guidance across to schools and be as clear with that guidance as possible, the better it is ... as we work towards that agenda that ministers have been so clear about, of getting our young people back in September. That is a really important ambition. I was very keen to see both the primary and secondary setting so that I am fully aware of the challenges the schools are facing.

‘I pay huge tribute to teachers across the country and in our community, particularly in Corby and East Northants, for everything that they are doing. They really rise to the challenge and work very hard. The message I am getting, and it is so clear when you see it on the ground, is that teachers are working tirelessly to make this work.’

Dr Campbell said: ‘I am delighted that we had the opportunity to show Tom how the Trust has responded to this situation and also to raise issues such as how transport and social distancing will be managed once our schools open to more students later this year. We were very transparent about the challenges we have faced so far, the huge amount of work put in by our staff and factors that need to be considered and addressed to ensure a smooth and safe return to school for all year groups.’

To see a gallery of photos from the visit click here.