Shabana has written to headteachers to thank their teaching staff for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The letter sent to all schools in Birmingham Ladywood highlights the work by teaching staff showing immense dedication by ensuring schools stay open for the children of those workers who cannot remain at home.

It also highlights how teachers, the often forgotten key workers, are adapting to an entirely new way of teaching: innovating, educating, and communicating with students remotely at their homes.

You can read her letter in full below.

Letter to headteachers

Dear Headteacher,

I am writing to say thank you to everyone at your school for your work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This pandemic presents unprecedented challenges for our public health at an individual, local, national and international level. The response to the COVID-19 pandemic is a national effort, requiring those that the Government has classed as key workers to continue working through the crisis, to ensure that public services and key industries can continue to function.

Schools in Birmingham have spent the last decade facing funding cuts from central government, while maintaining the fight to deliver a first-class education for our children. Now, teachers are adapting to an entirely new way of teaching: innovating, educating, and communicating with students remotely at their homes.

Therefore, it is right that we should thank our teachers, the often forgotten key workers, who are also showing immense dedication by ensuring schools stay open for the children of those workers who cannot remain at home.

It is, of course, disappointing that after many years of hard work students across the country will not have the opportunity to sit important final year assessments. Closing schools to all but the children of essential workers was certainly the right decision to minimise the spread of COVID-19, but now we must ensure any process announced by Ofqual to award final grades is fair and balanced. I will continue to monitor announcements made about this issue by the Department for Education.

The challenge ahead of us is extraordinary and will shape our country for years to come. There are over 70 schools in the Birmingham Ladywood constituency, and each will have a part to play in rebuilding our local communities when we eventually return to normal life.

My office continues to be open for all enquiries from constituents. Following the government guidance my staff are home-working, and may take longer than usual to reply to emails and letters. Please get in touch if you would like to share any best practice or to highlight any of the fantastic and innovative work done by teachers at your school.

Thank you again to the entire team at your school for your invaluable work.

Thanks and best wishes,

Shabana Mahmood MP

Member of Parliament for Birmingham Ladywood