Schools hope to carry on classes
BUT HEALTH BOSSES WARN THEY MUST PLAN FOR ALL OPTIONS IF COVID CRISIS DEEPENS
HEALTH bosses in Nottingham say no decision has yet been made on whether children will return to school after Christmas or instead be taught online.
Rising Covid infection rates and cases across the UK due to the Omicron variant have led some to believe that schools may not reopen when scheduled to after the Christmas holiday.
Health bosses in Nottingham, however, have stated it is simply too early to say what will happen in the new year.
They say schools across the county will be “well prepared” for whatever happens in 2022.
Lucy Hubber, Director of Public Health at Nottingham City Council, said: “The DFE [Department for Education] are working with schools, their plans are being updated to make sure that they are ready for any outcome that there might be after Christmas.
“But at the moment, we just don’t know how the figures are going to go to make that definitive [decision]. What we do know is that schools will be well prepared for whatever the future holds, those operations are in place now.”
Schools have previously been closed due to the pandemic, with children instead attending their classes virtually from home, in an attempt to keep them safe and bring down the number of Covid cases.
The Post previously asked readers whether they believe schools across the city and county should stay closed at the start of 2022.
One parent said: “Definitely not, it is hard to stay focused and motivated online.
“I think there should be an option there for parents who feel better having their kids home during all this,” said another.
“But I think it should be personal choice and not forced either way.
“If you feel your kid’s health is at to much risk and you can educate them and give them everything at home then do that, if you feel the risk isn’t to high and feel their needs are met better in school then put them to school.”
Headteachers have highlighted the increasing pressure they have faced in the last term, but say they “have no plans to close schools”.
Amanda Dawson, headteacher at the Mellers Primary School in Norton Street, Radford, added: “We will stay open and should we enter another period of lockdown, we would invite pupils in as we did last year, probably a third of the school.
“This would be for our most vulnerable pupils that we feel really need to be in school.
“And then we would have a mixture of online learning and then in person - but we will only do that if we are told that we have to close, otherwise we will stay open for everybody.”
Speaking on the challenges that schools had to overcome in the last term, Ms Dawson added: “In all my 15 years of headship this has been the most difficult term.
“Primarily because the messages that we have had have been so unclear - we haven’t had clear direction from the Government.
“The local authority and the Nottingham schools trust have been magnificent - we have had great support from them and other headteachers - but it’s been extraordinarily stressful.”
David Phillips, the headteacher of Chilwell School in Queens Road West, in Beeston, said: “I think nobody working in schools wants to return to remote learning.
“Schools want to be able to remain open and do the job that we, as teachers and schools, are focused on doing.
“It is clear, however, that across the country at the moment, there are already schools that are struggling to be able to provide a full education because of the impact that they have not only on student absences, but on staff absence.
“And that’s the crucial issue that means that you have a real pressure on schools being able to provide what they need to provide.”