Covid 19 has presented unprecedented challenge to school leaders in England: challenge that intensifies as pupils return to full time schooling (Adnan and Anwar, 2020; Dhawan, 2020) The UK government states that schools must offer, ‘a high standard of remote/blended learning’ (DfE, 020720) and the schools’ inspectorate, Ofsted, plan to inspect online provision from January 2021. During the lockdown schools developed online learning strategies, but to date there is little or no knowledge of how these strategies have been led and managed or how they have /or will address the needs of disadvantaged pupils, who are recognised to be disproportionately impacted by school closures (Jewitt et al., 2020). The aim of this UKRI funded project is to address this knowledge gap by investigating how HTs and CEOs in England are  are strategically planning for the management of online learning over the next 2 years, and how this builds on current practices. Using a case study approach based in 20 schools, and drawing on data from an online survey (n=4000) and semi structured interviews with Headteachers and CEOs (n=50),the project uses an adaptation of Puntedura’s model of differing degrees of technology integration to establish what level of online provision is being offered at present and what plans schools have for the next 2 years (Puentedura, 2006 2012) These are : L1 – Substitution- technologies are used passively to support teaching; L2 - augmentation – traditional pedagogies are adapted for online use; L3 – Modification-strategic thought is first given to the design of online learning and enhancements that add value to online teaching are implemented in order to improve learner performance; L4 – strategic planning for design of online offerings linking to whole school/ department approaches in online learning. (van der Spoel et al., 2020).As such, the project represents a significant and original contribution to knowledge and will offer unique insights into the short- and medium-term planning for leading online learning in the future. 

Theoretical approach 

The project takes a strategy as practice approach to strategy, as this has been found to be most useful in our previous project on strategic management in schools ,alongside Puntedura’s model described above (Puntedura,2012).   

The research questions are:   

• At what level are schools currently operating in terms of the 4 operational levels of online practice, and when and why were online strategies implemented?  

• What changes/ amendments to strategies have leaders implemented due to Covid19?  

• How are schools operationalising strategies with their staff?    

• What strategies are in place for pupils with SEN and limited tech/study space?  

• What opportunities and challenges are inherent in the leadership and management of online learning in secondary schools in England?  

• How are school leaders responding to these challenges?  

• What key practices contribute to the success of online strategies?  

• What strategies are leaders putting in place for online learning in the future, both in response to ongoing pandemic and as part of ‘business as usual’. 

Methods   Schools have been chosen by 3 partner organisations who have excellent knowledge of the schools and their catchment areas and include: schools in the NE England (SNE); in the S and Yorkshire (The Key) and in the midlands (DTSA). The Case study will be an amassed data set from each region, including questionnaire and interview data from schools in that region. The sample will include 10% schools in areas of high socio-economic deprivation in each area and this will form a separate case study to inform on challenges of provision for pupils in these areas and who may lack hardware/study space at home.    The project uses a two stage sequential approach: Beginning with 50 qualitative, technology mediated, semi-structured interviews, with headteachers and CEOs, in order to respond to the research questions. The research team have created a code book based on transcriptions of pilot interviews, the data is being coded using Nvivo software, and the narratives analysed according to the research questions. An online survey has been sent to 4000 schools in the North and South of England via our project partners. Ethics approval has been granted at each institution Open University Ethics Board. The project has two strands:  Strand 1 A) Qualitative research: Interviews with 50 head teachers and CEOs in English Secondary schools and a literature review.  B) Quantitative research: Online short questionnaires targeted at head teachers; curriculum leads and heads of department: Through the questionnaires circulated by our project partners we will target a further 4000 schools. (1000 -Schools North East; 500 schools- DTSA and 3500- The Key School Leaders). Blog posts and conference papers. C)Policy briefing and Webinars 1 and 2 Strand 2 Report, Webinars, online course; academic articles, and writing of case studies targeted at school leaders at each level, on the strategic leadership of online learning.   

Findings   The research provides a rapid response to a constantly changing educational environment and will use the Open University’s extensive technological platforms to disseminate the results. Education has been one of the worst affected services as a result of Covid19, and it is vital that schools learn from their experiences and are able to strategically plan for the continuation of restrictions and social distancing, because of this, and future pandemics. Preparing leaders, at all levels to take a more strategic view of online teaching, is key to ongoing school development and will benefit staff, learners and society, not only in relation to pandemic situations, but equally, in order to complement existing provision at secondary level. The findings of the project will be of key significance to practitioners, policy makers and school leaders both UK wide and internationally and will specifically employ the following methods of dissemination in order to benefit the social and environmental impacts of Covid19, both in the UK and beyond. Online course for school leaders, hosted on the OU OpenLearn Platform;policy briefing; 3 webinars for partner organisations;3 blog posts and publications in leading journals.   The research reveals:   What level schools are currently operating at in terms of the 4 operational levels of online practice, and when and why were online strategies implemented  What changes/ amendments to strategies leaders have implemented due to Covid19  Specific ways that schools are operationalising strategies with their staff   What strategies are in place for pupils with SEN and limited tech/study space and how much help is being offered from central and local government   What opportunities and challenges are inherent in the leadership and management of online learning in secondary schools in England  How school leaders are responding to these challenges  What key practices contribute to the success of online strategies  What strategies are leaders putting in place for online learning in the future, both in response to ongoing pandemic and as part of ‘business as usual’. 

References   Adnan M and Anwar K. (2020) Online Learning amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Students' Perspectives. Online Submission 2: 45-51. Dhawan S. (2020) Online learning: A panacea in the time of COVID-19 crisis. Journal of Educational Technology Systems 49: 5-22. Jewitt K, Baxter J and Floyd A. (2020) Literature review on the use of online and blended learning during Covid 19 and Beyond. The Open University The Open University Puentedura, R. (2006). Transformatiom, Technology, and Education. Presentation given August 18, 2006 as part of the Strengthening Your District Through Technology workshops, Maine, US. Retrieved from http://hippasus.com/resources/tte/part1.html. Puentedura, R. (2012). Thinking About Change in Learning and Technology. Presentation given September 25, 2012 at the 1st Global Mobile Learning Conference, Al Ain, UAE. Retrieved from http://www.hippasus.com/rrpweblog/archives/2012/04/10/iPad_Intro.pdf. van der Spoel I, Noroozi O, Schuurink E, et al. (2020) Teachers’ online teaching expectations and experiences during the Covid19-pandemic in the Netherlands. European Journal of Teacher Education 43: 623-638.