Extended Easter school holidays on the agenda as heads meet ministers

Head teachers are to meet ministers on Monday to discuss emergency plans as schools prepare for multiple scenarios, including closures

SCHOOLS are preparing for an extended Easter holiday, The Daily Telegraph has learnt, as head teachers have been summoned to speak to ministers about emergency plans.

There is a “real logic” to extending the Easter break by a week at either side, according to Geoff Barton, general secretary at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL).

“Undoubtedly, people have been having discussions about it,” he said.

“Parents will already have plans of one type or another for what they are doing with their children over Easter. In some ways it becomes less disruptive if it were just part of a kind of elongated planned holiday.”

Experts have forecast that the UK is a number of weeks behind Italy, which shut all its schools last Thursday.

Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government’s chief scientific adviser, said this week that the UK was four weeks behind Italy “in terms of the scale of the outbreak” if not “in terms of the response”.

Meanwhile, Dr Michael Tildesley, an expert in infectious disease control at the University of Warwick, said the UK is two to three weeks behind Italy in terms of the growth of cases.

The Government has so far insisted that schools should remain open, but it has come under pressure after France, Ireland and Spain all announced plans this week to close schools.

Officials were worried that suddenly putting thousands of children in need of parental childcare could seriously damage already fragile staffing levels in key public services.

The current government advice that schools should only close if specifically advised follows a spate of unilateral temporary closures.

Prof Chris Whitty, the Government’s chief medical adviser, said closing schools to protect children was not justified by the science as, so far, they did not seem to be at risk of death from coronavirus. But Boris Johnson said school closures remain under review and advice could change in the future.

Leaders of ASCL, the National Association of Head teachers (NAHT) and the Confederation of School Trusts (CST) which represents multi-academy trusts, have been summoned to meet Gavin Williamson, the Education Secretary, on Monday to discuss plans.

Rob Campbell of the NAHT said that

‘In some ways it becomes less disruptive if it were just part of an elongated holiday’

‘Schools are preparing for all eventualities. We are all investing in our online provision’

It would be ‘incredibly disruptive’ for schools to open after the holidays and then be told to close

there has “certainly been a lot of speculation” among heads about an extended Easter holiday.

“It is fortunate that most schools have got a two-week break coming up which could be extended by a couple of weeks or so,” he said.

“Schools are preparing for all eventualities. We are all investing a lot of work into our online provision.”

Leora Cruddas, chief executive of the CST, said that multi-academy trusts are planning for multiple scenarios, including closures.

“In the last couple of weeks there has been extensive executive activity looking at alternative arrangements and undertaking risk assessments,” she said. “What’s important is that school leaders are in a state of readiness.”

She said that her members favoured the extended Easter break approach, adding that it would be “very unhelpful” for schools to open again after the holidays, and then be ordered to close. “That would be incredibly disruptive,” she added.

Mr Barton said that one topic likely to be discussed with ministers would be around schools staying open effectively to provide childcare for medical professionals and other key workers.

He also intends to raise the issue of the Government’s line on school trips abroad, which he said is causing “alarm” among head teachers. At the moment, schools are “advised against” all overseas trips.

“There needs to be a clearer line,” he said. “What was the Government saying? Are they saying don’t travel? Because that’s probably what needs to be heard now.”

Mr Barton revealed some parents are already pulling children out of school, adding that schools should treat corona-related absences as authorised. “We have seen examples from our members where parents have said ‘my child is going to stay at home’,” he said. “People will be worried about will they pick something up in school, will they bring it home and grandma gets it.”

Ministers are preparing to issue guidance to schools on how to deal with pupil absences, and the “exceptional circumstances” guidelines that can be applied.

Mr Barton said that if parents decide they want their children to stay at home, schools should count this as an “authorised” absence and parents should not be penalised. “It’s the parents who have ultimate responsibility for the child so if they decide they are keeping their child at home, that’s what their decision would be, we would authorise it,” he said.

Under current laws, pupils are only allowed to miss school if they are too ill to go in, or if they have advance permission from the school.

Officials at the Department for Education are in discussions with exam boards about contingency plans for GCSES and A-levels. Ofqual, the exam regulator, is expected to make an announcement soon about how schools should prepare for the exam season to minimise disruption for students.