WE WILL BE READY FOR KIDS’ RETURN
... but they blast Tory chaos and demand to know what Plan B is if virus surges
HEAD teachers insist schools will be ready to take pupils this term, despite confusion sparked by Tory U-turns.
But they have demanded a Plan B for local Covid-19 spikes, with 8.9 million kids returning. A union chief said: “Last-minute contingencies caused chaos.”
WITH Boris Johnson’s school return plans in chaos amid U-turns and dithering, head teachers stepped in to reassure parents children will be safe.
The PM had sparked confusion after changing advice and ordering pupils to wear face masks. And there was anger at delays in getting laptops to kids when they were shut out of class in lockdown.
But the National Association of Headteachers yesterday insisted schools were ready for the return of kids, many who have missed out on months of education.
However, they also demanded a Plan B for local Covid-19 flare-ups. with fears schools could close again.
General secretary Paul Whiteman said: “You don’t need a crystal ball to see that local restrictions will be a feature of the autumn and winter.
“We’ve already seen them happening in a few areas of the UK.
“We’ve done everything we can to get ready but we can’t have any more lastminute plans.
“Last-minute contingencies have caused chaos so far, but a credible, publicised and wellunderstood set of alternatives for schools in the event of further disruption will not only give us something to work with but will also help to reassure any families that are still nervous about coming back on day one. We know parents and families want their children to return, but we also know confidence is a fragile thing. The long list of Government delays, U-turns and uncertainty has not helped matters in the slightest, but school leaders and their teams have stuck to their task.
“They are the ones providing the stability for parents now.” An NAHT survey found 97% of schools will welcome back all pupils full-time at the start of the autumn term.
Staff have worked for months to get classrooms ready.
Urging parents to send their
children to school, Mr Whiteman added: “Everyone wants to see pupils back in class next week, with their teachers and their classmates.
“These figures clearly show teams have worked incredibly hard over the summer to get schools ready for the start of the autumn term.
“Please do not let the very public political difficulties and arguments cloud your confidence in schools.”
No10 said this week if any schools have to close because of local Covid spikes “we expect the school to provide remote education”.
But millions of kids missed out on learning during lockdown as they did not have access to home computers, or because schools were unprepared for remote teaching.
Insiders believe the Government took far too long to distribute laptops to kids, and hugely underestimated demand.
An estimated 8.9 million children in England are due back next week. There are fears some could be infected with coronavirus if they travel to class on public transport.
But the NAHT hoped publishing its survey results would help parents make the decision to send youngsters back.
In the 3% of cases where schools will not open full time to all children, heads plan transition periods for new pupils or phasing entry. Around 96% of schools are organising regular extra cleaning of classrooms Coney Hill Community Primary in Gloucester is one. Head Dani Brayshaw helped out by wiping down desks. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said last night: “I want to thank headteachers, teachers and school staff for everything they are doing to ensure children can get back into classes safely when the term starts.”
We’ve done all we can, we can’t have any last minute plans
PAUL WHITEMAN OF HEADS GROUP, THE NAHT
THANKS to the hard work of teachers, the vast majority of England’s schools will be ready to welcome pupils back next week.
Staff have given up their summer to make sure children will get the education they deserve in a Covid-secure environment.
The achievement is all the more impressive given they had to deal with the exams grading chaos at the same time. They deserve our thanks – unlike the Government, which has sent out confused and conflicting messages to parents, teachers and pupils.
There remains a lack of guidance from the Department for Education on what schools should do if there is a second wave in autumn.
During lockdown too many pupils missed out by not having access to laptops and lessons via video calls. This cannot be allowed to happen again if there are further outbreaks.
Yet the Government has failed to set out how children and teachers will be supported in such a situation. Teachers deserve high grades for their efforts this summer – but ministers should be placed in detention.