Lockdowns will not shut schools
squads are likely to focus on those living in areas of concern, where infection rates are rising.
Baroness Dido Harding, the executive chairman of the NHS test-and-trace programme, said: ‘We have always been clear that NHS test-and-trace must be local by default and that we do not operate alone – we work with and through partners across the country.
‘As we learn more about the spread of the disease, we are able to move to our planned next step and become even more effective in tackling the virus.’
James Jamieson, chairman of the Local Government Association, which represents councils, said: ‘This announcement is good news for everyone. A strong national and local partnership is critical for test-andtrace to work as effectively as possible.’
The Lancet research by academics at University College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said that ideally, at least 68 per cent of all close contacts needed to be alerted by teams and told to self-isolate.
If this threshold is not reached, they warned that the reopening of schools at the beginning of next month could trigger a second wave, possibly much bigger than the first. But the figures last Thursday showed that only 46 per cent of close contacts were alerted, a drop from 51 per cent on the previous week and well below the 68 per cent mark.
SCHOOLS will be the last places to close, even in a local lockdown, Boris Johnson vowed yesterday.
As the Government’s row with the unions escalated, the Prime Minister said getting all children back to school full-time in England next month was the ‘right thing for everybody’.
His comments, on a visit to a school in east London, came after one teachers’ union said ministers should have a plan B – such as a ‘week-on, week-off’ rota system for pupils – in case of further lockdowns and spikes in Covid-19 cases.
Mr Johnson said he hoped schools would not be forced to close as a result of local action, adding it was the ‘last thing’ that the Government wanted to do.
‘But clearly what we are doing – the way we are trying to manage the Covid pandemic – is to have local measures in place and local test and trace to introduce restrictions where that’s necessary,’ he said.
‘As we have all said, the last thing we want to do is to close schools. We think that education is the priority for the country and that is simple social justice.’
Ministers have become increasingly frustrated with the teaching unions in recent days, particularly after the National Education Union published a ‘nit-picking’ list of 200 safety demands for all schools to adhere to.
Tory MP Rob Halfon, chairman of the education select committee, said: ‘I think that some of the unions are... imposing significant obstacles and significant tests that no other workplace is following.
‘If you’d had all the conditions in supermarkets that some of the unions are proposing, then perhaps you wouldn’t have had any of the supermarkets open during the lockdown. The four most important words in this are “What about the kids?”.’
The unions insist they are not trying to sabotage the back-to-school plans but are asking genuine questions about the Government’s approach and the lack of a plan B should virus cases escalate again.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: ‘This idea that demonising the trade unions lets the Government off the hook with difficult questions we are asking.
‘ They ought to be facing difficult questions because we are in the middle of something extremely challenging.’
Mr Barton added: ‘We would like to see more thought given to blended learning as a back-up plan, which could be a rota system of children in for one week and then learning at home for one week. This would be better than children returning solely to remote education.’
Avis Gilmore, deputy general secretary of the National Education Union, called for a more robust test, track and trace system to be in place to ensure the welfare of pupils and school staff.
She said: ‘Government could do much more to assure schools and local authorities that, should a second spike occur, either nationally or locally, there is a clear Plan B in place.
‘This plan needs to spell out what action must be taken in a variety of situations, so that schools and colleges can make the preparations parents expect of them.’
Last night scientists called for routine Covid testing of teachers and pupils, alongside a robust test-and-trace system.
Researchers behind a report from Delve, a multidisciplinary group convened by the Royal Society, said routine testing will be necessary when the majority of children return to school. Dr Ines Hassan, a researcher in the global health governance programme at the University of Edinburgh, said the group was recommending the widespread screening of all staff, including those who are asymptomatic.
Home- schooled children are among those who will miss out on grades this week. They have been excluded from Ofqual’s plans because only teachers were permitted to submit assessed grades.
It is believed the majority will need to sit real exams this autumn to get their qualifications – and, due to the delay in getting their results, could be forced into a gap year before they start university.