Education is being held back

IT is good news that all children will be back in school in England in September and, apparently, in Scotland from August 11, one week earlier than they planned. No contract issues there, apparently.

Wales must now go down the same path. I am appalled that, while my grandchildren are back in school, it is for just two days out of a possible 15. It was going to be 20 days, but the unions made sure that did not happen.

It was announced that a third of the children would be back in school every day, but that has not been the case. I expected that, by calculation, my grandchildren would receive five days’ schooling, which would have met the quota.

This on top of a three-month void where contact between teachers and pupils has been minimal. This has had a more damaging effect for those children without dedicated parents. Fortunately, my grandchildren have a dedicated mother helping them with their studies.

It seems that private enterprises can get their businesses up and running safely, but education, the key to the country’s future, limps agonisingly towards normality.