Schools have to shut after teachers say they are ‘unavailable’
FULL CLASSROOMS ARE AN UNSAFE WORKPLACE ACCORDING TO UNION
A PRIMARY school has had to close as its head teacher said he was “inundated” with staff emails “declaring their unavailability” to teach full classes.
Heathfield Primary and Nursery School which has two sites – one in Basford and one in Highbury Vale – will be closed until at least tomorrow to the majority of pupils while others will receive remote lessons.
It comes as trade unions are advising members of their legal right to refuse to work in unsafe conditions, prompting some school staff not to return, due to current fears over the Covid pandemic.
In a letter to parents, published on the school’s website on Sunday, head teacher Gary Fullwood said: “Following trade union guidance that was issued to its members, I have today been inundated with emails from staff declaring their unavailability to return to school tomorrow to continue to teach whole classes.”
Children of key workers and vulnerable pupils were expected to attend school as normal.
It was a similar situation for Crossdale Primary School in Keyworth, which was closed to all pupils yesterday, due to staff not attending “for the forseeable future”.
Its head teacher, Peter Cresswell, confirmed on the school’s website on Sunday: “A number of staff have made the difficult decision to write to me this afternoon [Sunday] outlining that under section 44 of the Health and Safety act 1974 they will not be attending school for the foreseeable future due to the rise in coronavirus infections over Christmas.
“The exception they have stated is being in school supporting the learning of key worker and vulnerable children where necessary.”
The National Education Union (NEU) has issued statements online and directly to its members informing of their view that it is currently unsafe for school staff to be in their workplace.
It has provided a letter template for staff to send to school leaders which highlights health and safety legislation and states that coming into school would present “a serious and imminent danger” to the person’s health and safety.
The NEU said its advice stands for at least the first two weeks of term.
Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the NEU, said in a statement on Saturday: “There is scientific concern that the new variant might be more prevalent amongst younger people than the previous variants.
“We are calling on Gavin Williamson to actually do what he professes he does – to follow the science and announce, now, that primary schools in England should move learning online – apart from key worker and vulnerable children for at least the first two weeks of January.
“We are doing our job as a union by informing members that they have a legal right to refuse to work in unsafe conditions which are a danger to their health and to the health of their school communities and more generally.
“We realise that this late notice is a huge inconvenience for parents and for headteachers. The fault, however, is of the Government’s own making and is a result of their inability to understand data, their indecisiveness and their reckless approach to their central duty – to safeguard public health.”
In a statement on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council, Councillor Philip Owen, chairman of the children and young people’s committee, said that the decision to open or close schools was being left to the discretion of head teachers.
Councillor Owen added: “Head teachers are best placed to make this decision on behalf of the pupils and staff at their school and we will advise and support them where necessary.
“Head teachers will carry out risk assessments which will determine if their school is safe to open. The decision about whether to issue fines for non-attendance is a matter for each school, not the county council. Parents can be assured that all appropriate measures will be in place, and that we will be helping those families who need additional support.
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely, and follow all Government guidelines.”
Nottingham City Council leader David Mellen said in a statement the authority would support any head teacher who decided their school should be closed. He added: “Given the Government’s decisions to allow school closures in other areas in Tier Four, there is understandable confusion about why this has not happened in Nottingham.
“We have reiterated the Government guidance as it stands and made absolutely clear that we will support any head teacher who feels it necessary to close, if their risk assessment dictates that it is not safe to open.”
Concerns have also been raised about the impact on children’s wellbeing if schools close.
An NSPCC spokesperson said: “Children were at greater risk of abuse and neglect in 2020, because they were more vulnerable, their families were under greater pressure and they were out of sight of the people that can keep them safe.
“At the same time, we know from contacts to Childline that the crisis has had a real impact on young people’s mental health.
“If schools are to close again, then we need to make sure we continue to look out for those at risk.”