Teachers ‘have been forgotten’ in school return

THE PRESIDENT of the European Commission has requested further details about her trade supremo’s attendance at a controversial golf dinner in Ireland.

Pressure has been building on commissioner Phil Hogan, inset, to step down from his EU role after attending last week’s function with more than 80 people present. Large social gatherings are discouraged during the pandemic. Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is investigating her commissioner’s actions.

TEACHERS HAVE been “forgotten about” in the return to school, Yorkshire health and education leaders have warned, after the Government said it is ‘vitally important’ for children to return to class.

Boris Johnson said yesterday that it is “vitally important” that children go back to school and that the life chances of a generation were at stake, echoing the UK’s four chief medical officers who all signed a joint statement alongside deputy chief medical officers to reassure parents schools could mitigate risks during the pandemic.

Professor Mahendra Patel, from the University of Bradford, said clearer guidance was needed from the Government for school leaders and warned teachers are “not disposable” as they return to school during a pandemic.

He told The Yorkshire Post :“I feel teachers are being forgotten. Throughout this the Government has been reactive, but the approach needs to be proactive… in supporting our workforce. Teachers are as critical in that workforce structure.

“We don’t have the number of teachers to be pulled in if the teaching workforce suddenly collapses – how is that going to impact on the children’s education, for example – particularly at primary level?”

Professor Patel, a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s English Pharmacy Board, who has worked extensively with different black and minority ethnic (BAME) communities around health inequalities for over 20 years, stressed the need for extra support for teachers returning to schools in the UK’s coronavirus ‘hotspots’ and areas on the coronavirus watchlist. He added there was concern for schools in Bradford as the city confirmed a further 66 cases on the weekend.

He said: “We have to be careful that this is not ‘one size fits all’ in terms of the messaging. Also where these hotspots are occurring that is going to reflect around the schools and we should be stepping up our vigilance within those areas more than the other areas.”

Fiona Spellman, chief executive of Yorkshire-based education charity Shine, echoed Prof Patel’s call for clarity and support and said the Government needed to gain the public’s trust after the handling of the recent A-level and GCSE results.

Ms Spellman said: “We are coming off the back of a period where A-level and GCSE results scenarios did not further trust necessarily in the key decisionmakers in education. The return to school is likely to be affected by the challenges around what has happened in recent weeks.

“Teachers absolutely want to provide an education to children and are deeply worried about the prospects for particularly disadvantaged children who have been out of education for some time. But having the appropriate plans in place to support safety in the workplace... is not an unreasonable request to make especially given that there has been a significant amount of time since the schools did close.”

Teachers are as critical in that workforce structure. Professor Mahendra Patel, the University of Bradford.