PM’S pledge to get pupils back in school is ‘pure fantasy’ say unions

THE return to school of all pupils in September is “pure fantasy”, head teachers have claimed, as they warned that even with “one metre plus” there would not be enough space in classrooms.

Unions told ministers that reducing social distancing rules from two metres to one was not a “magic bullet”, and urged them to come up with a strategy to reopen schools “based in reality”.

Their remarks come after Boris Johnson yesterday said the public would be expected to observe a distance of “one metre plus” from July 4.

The Prime Minister told the Commons that formal childcare would restart over the summer, while primaries and secondaries would reopen in September with “full attendance”.

Mr Johnson added: “And those children who can already go to school should do so because it is safe.”

But he offered no new guidance on schools, which remain closed to most pupils despite the change from a twometre rule to a “one-metre plus” rule.

Primary schools in England were allowed to welcome pupils in Reception and Years 1 and 6 back to the classroom from June 1 after 10 weeks of closures.

Meanwhile, secondaries are allowed to open for pupils in Years 10 and 12, with children in other years allowed back for one meeting with a teacher before the summer holidays.

No further changes are expected in school arrangements until the Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, announces the results of a review of Covid security in schools next week.

Last night, the Government faced a backlash from unions. Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association

of School and College Leaders, the main union for secondary head teachers, said it was ridiculous to suggest all children would be able to be accommodated in the autumn, adding that the

one-metre plus rule was not “a magic bullet”.

“There has been a lot of conjecture that relaxing the two-metre social distancing rule to one metre will allow all children to return to school in September,” he said. “This is pure fantasy. It may be possible to accommodate more pupils ... but not all pupils. There just isn’t enough space in many classrooms.

“It isn’t a magic bullet, and nor is the Education Secretary’s suggestion on Friday of doubling the size of social bubbles to 30, in order to facilitate a full return to schools.”

He urged ministers to come up with a “proper strategy” to get children back to schools in September, “based in reality and on public health guidance”.

Meanwhile, the National Education Union warned that “more teachers and more spaces” would be needed if a onemetre social distancing restriction remained in place in September.

Dr Mary Bousted, the NEU joint general secretary, said she was “of course in favour of all children being back in school” but added that “even with a one-metre rule that will need more teachers and more spaces.

“It is not clear whether in less than three months the science will permit classes of 30,” she said. “If social distancing of one metre remains in place, that will still be difficult for schools.”

Ministers are under increasing pressure to explain how more children will be able to return to schools unless distancing requirements are removed.

Last week, more than 30 heads of the biggest and best-known academy chains in England and other leading education figures said it was “vital” that schools reopened in September and that pupils’ attendance was mandatory.

Mr Williamson has promised that guidance on schools reopening will be published “within the next two weeks”.

He said the Government was looking at larger “bubbles” to allow class sizes to expand in time for the autumn term.