Back to School chaos
U-turn threat over pupils’ return Head teachers urge delay to term
MINISTERS are poised for a fresh U-turn on the reopening of schools.
Reports suggest that secondaries in England are set to open on Monday only to vulnerable children or children of key workers.
Plans had been to open for Year 11 and Year 13 pupils, who have exams this academic year.
The new move was last night waiting to be approved by No10, according to reports.
The Government will come under mounting pressure to end uncertainty when Health Secretary Matt Hancock updates MPs today.
Year 11 and 13 pupils would be given priority for Covid tests that would allow them to start returning to lessons the week beginning January 11, it was said.
All secondar y students would be due back in schools for lessons from the week starting January 18.
Primary schools would reopen as planned on January 4. A Department for Education spokeswoman said: “No announcement has been made.
“Our statement is still... we want all pupils to return in January, as school is the best place for their development and mental health, but as the
Prime Minister has said, it is right we follow the path of the pandemic and keep our approach under constant review.”
Boris Johnson faces increasing calls to delay the reopening of schools as virus cases soar.
Professor Neil Ferguson, of the Government’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group, told the BBC that there had been a “balancing act” since lockdown was initially eased to try to keep control of the virus while maintaining “some semblance of normal society”.
But that had been thrown into jeopardy by the more infectious Kent mutation, he feared.
He said: “This new variant has just made that more difficult, we have even less wiggle room.
“Clearly nobody wants to keep schools shut.
“But if that’s the only alternative to having exponentially growing
numbers of hospitalisations, that may be required – at least for a period.
“There are no easy solutions. My real concern is that even if universities and schools do have staggered returns or even stay closed, how easy it would be to maintain control of the virus? It is unclear now, given how much more transmissible this variant is.”
The PM’s spokesman said: “We’re still planning for a staggered opening of schools and we are working to ensure testing is in place. As we have said throughout the pandemic, we obviously keep all measures under constant review.”
The head of one of the UK’s biggest teaching unions called for schools to remain closed until Covid-19 testing schemes have been set up properly.
Geoff Barton, Association of School and College Leaders general secretary, said: “Eminent scientists have said schools should remain closed. That’s what unions, I think, have been responding to. None of this is to create problems because we know those tests are going to help more young people to keep from being disrupted – it’s a really good idea.”
Mr Barton welcomed the Government’s plans for hundreds of soldiers to offer remote support for testing but warned it is unlikely to be enough.
He added: “We’re educationists, we can support the Government and it is good we are going to have some members of the Army. But for 3,500 secondary schools, 1,500 troops doing webinars probably isn’t the Government response that we were looking for.”
S t e ve Chalke , founder of Oasis, one of the largest multiacademy trusts in England, backed calls for a delayed restart.
He said: “We would ask Government to pause, to come up with a clear strategy for the continuity of education.
“We think that means a short delay to think things through. We’d suggest a week or two’s delay to think it through, to do it well – and we think if you really care about kids you would do this well – to invest now, to give time now makes sense.”
Shadow Education Secretary Kate Green said: “It’s time for the Prime Minister to own his mistakes and to be honest about whether students can return to schools and colleges in a week’s time.”
It’s time for the PM to own his mistakes and to be honest
KATE GREEN SHADOW EDUCATION SECRETARY