Ministers face renewed pressure over push to reopen schools as education leaders and Government at loggerheads

Ellena Cruse15 May 2020

Ministers are facing renewed pressure over their push to reopen schools as education leaders prepare to meet the chief medical officer amid concerns for the safety of staff and children.

Heads of teaching unions are set to meet Chris Whitty on Friday over the Government’s ambition to reopen schools in England from June 1 .

The row has intensified after Education Secretary Gavin Williamson doubled down on the Government's ambition for a staged return , saying it would be the first phase of a "controlled and careful" process, which would involve a range of protect measures.

But unions and the Local Government Association (LGA) have raised fresh concerns, with one threatening legal action if educators do not receive the same Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) as frontline workers before being asked to return to work.

Teaching unions have now faced their own backlash over this approach, with former Labour education secretary Lord Blunkett saying he was "deeply critical of the attitude".

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis has insisted it is possible for young children to socially distance in schools and that a few weeks out of a classroom "can make a big difference".

Pushed on whether he is expecting teachers to ensure children socially distance, he told BBC Breakfast: “Well I think one of the things teachers are able to do, both in the classroom and outside the classroom, and all of us as parents and people in society, is to continue to educate each other around social distance.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said schools will open in a staggered approach
PA

“So yes, even in a school environment I think it is important that we do what we can to encourage and explain and educate around social distancing.”

Debate has been raging betwen the Government and unions since Boris Johnson announced a phased reopening from the start of next month in England.

There are no plans yet to follow suit in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with unions expressing fears that the move would be too soon due to the risk of infection from coronavirus.

In a letter written to local authorities, and reported in the Guardian on Friday, Patrick Roach, general secretary of 300,000 strong union NASUWT, threatened to invoke legal action to defend teachers against being forced back into schools on 1 June because of the risk to their health.

Lots of children have been learning at home since Covid-19 restrictions were implemented
PA

The letter read: "Stringent guidance has been issued for the NHS, for care homes and for employers across the UK. It is unacceptable that this has not been the case for schools."

Meanwhile, the Local Government Association (LGA) raised concerns about whether young children can adhere to strict social distancing rules in class.

The body called on the Government to allow individual councils to decide when schools should go back, taking into consideration the proportion of students from BAME backgrounds and increased risk of dying from Covid-19.

Cllr Judith Blake, Chair of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, said: "We know parents are anxious about sending their children back to school or nursery.

“Plans to re-open schools and early years settings must focus on reassuring parents that it will be safe for children to return to school. Publication of the scientific advice is vital to help provide that reassurance.

“The safety of staff, parents and families is absolutely paramount.

“Councils need to be able to close provision where testing indicates clusters of new Covid-19 cases and it is vital that schools have the resources to provide staff with necessary protective equipment, as well as soap and hand sanitiser for cleaning.”

Writing in the Daily Mail, Mr Williamson maintained scientific advice was behind the Government's strategy, adding: “The best place for youngsters to learn is in school and I have wanted to get more children back there as soon as possible."

He said that, while parents are doing well to help children learn, nothing can take the place of a teacher.

He urged unions drop objections to reopening on June 1 and do their "duty", adding: "All of us in education have a duty to work together to get children back to school."

It came as a poll from the Nation Education Union suggests that a third of parents do not immediately plan to send their children back to school once lockdown measures are relaxed.

Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast

The survey of 1,000 parents found that nearly half (49 per cent ) said they would send their children back to school as soon as it reopens, but 33 per cent said they plan to delay the return.

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