Flexibility urged over closures

► THE HEAD of the Jewish Leadership Council’s schools network, Pajes, this week urged the government to allow schools flexibility in choosing whether to close because of the pandemic.

Greenwich council on Tuesday reversed its decision for schools to shut and switch to remote learning for the last week of term after being threatened with legal action by the government.

JCoSS also revised plans to go digital this week to cut the risk of Covid-19 spread in the run-up to the winter holidays with social distancing rules due to be relaxed over Christmas.

But Rabbi David Meyer, executive director of Pajes, said, “Especially at secondary schools there is increasing evidence of the dangers of viral spread.

“For areas at high risk, offering remote learning provision immediately before and after the holidays would have limited educational impact and may help protect families and limit the spread of the virus.”

Rabbi Meyer said, “We appreciate the difficulties facing the Secretary of

State but one size cannot fit all and we would urge him to allow school leaders the freedom to determine what is best for the students in their school.”

The rise in infections led to London being moved to the higher, level tier3 restrictions from Wednesday.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has called for a delayed return to secondary school in January as well as early closures this week.

Rabbi Meyer said, “Schools leaders have done an exceptional job keeping schools running under the harshest of circumstances over the past few months and have always acted with the best interests of their students.”

JCoSS classes were taught remotely on Monday, but pupils were back on site for the final days of term from Tuesday till Thursday.

In a statement on Monday, JCoSS said that following talks last week with the Department for Education it had been told its plans to go remote for the week “do not comply with the government’s aim to have on-site learning every day of the term for all students who are able to attend”.