ALL SCHOOLS

Strikes and legal action »»Parents in limbo as corona cases double

4 London closed. In secondary schools Year 11 and 13 pupils will return from January 11. The rest from January 18.

But four major unions are demanding all schools must close for two weeks and deliver lessons online to about 4.7 million pupils at home. The NEU will call an online meeting of all members today and tell them they have the legal right to stay out of schools if they consider them unsafe.

Joint general secretary Kevin

Courtney said teachers had “serious fears” over the soaring rates.

He told the Sunday Mirror: “We really regret the disruption for parents, but it is the Government who are ignoring the science. We want schools open as soon as possible - but only when it is safe.”

NASUWT, the NAHT and the ASCL joined forces to take legal action against the Department for Education. They want to force it to release all the scientific advice it has been given over the decision to reopen primary schools but not secondaries.

Paul Whiteman, of NAHT, said: “It is wrong to keep people in harm’s way whilst the implications of the new variant are still being discovered.”

The unions are waiting for a Government response. The Sunday Mirror understands strike action has not been ruled out as a next step.

A DfE spokesman last night said education is “a national priority, which is why we want classrooms to reopen wherever possible in the new term”.

He added: “We will move to remote education as a last resort.”

But Brighton and Hove City Council last night advised schools to close amid soaring Covid rates.

Nurseries also raised safety concerns claiming Mr Williamson has treated them as an “afterthought”.

A YouGov poll has revealed 43 per cent of people strongly support the closure of schools. Pupils are worried too. A new study found only 60 per cent feel safe in school.