Union bosses ‘must not dictate when all schools can reopen’
TEACHING unions cannot be allowed to dictate when children go back to school, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said yesterday.
He promised the “unprecedented disruption” to learning must end this September, with all children returning to full-time classes.
Mr Williamson unveiled detailed Government guidance for schools in England to safely reopen.
This included advice to stagger starting times and breaks, minimise congestion in school corridors and grouping children into class or year-sized “bubbles” to cut down their contact with each other.
Recovery
And he urged unions, who resisted the mandatory return to full-time education on safety grounds, to co-operate with the Government on getting children back to school to help the “national recovery”.
He told MPs: “This should not be about trade unions dictating what we are doing that is best for our children.
“We want to work with trade unions and the whole sector, including staff, to deliver the best education for all children.”
In a Commons statement confirming the September restart for schools that have been closed to most pupils since the lockdown began in March, Mr Williamson said: “Every child and young person in the country has experienced unprecedented disruption to their learning as a result of coronavirus, with those from the most vulnerable and disadvantaged backgrounds among the hardest hit.
“Education recovery is critical for this generation of schoolchildren. Returning to normal educational routines as quickly as possible is critical to our national recovery, too.
“That is why we have been working to ensure that all pupils will be able to go back to schools and colleges full time in September, with Covid-secure measures in place, so that they have the opportunity to thrive and fulfil their full potential.”
Advice from the Department for Education published yesterday outlined stringent measures for curbing the spread of coronavirus in schools.
If establishments have two or more confirmed coronavirus cases within a fortnight, entire schools, or all pupils in a year
group, may have to self-isolate at home, it said.
It called for children to be grouped into “bubbles” to reduce social interaction, with minimum sharing of rooms between different groups.
Youngsters should sit facing forwards in classes and teachers should maintain the two-metre distance where possible. Start and finish times, as well as breaks, should be staggered to avoid crowded corridors, playgrounds and other areas.
At a news conference in Downing Street to highlight the back-to-school plans yesterday, Mr Williamson rejected claims that children will need to be taught a “watered-down curriculum” when they return. He said: “It’s incredibly important that we have the same standards and rigour across our education system as we come out of lockdown as we had going into it.”
Dr Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer for England, said where possible lessons could be held outside in order to reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission. And she urged parents to control their children outside school premises.
“School is quite a controlled environment and perhaps trying to encourage families as well – I know it is difficult because I’ve been there – but to try and control their teenagers in their social interactions outside of school as well,” she said.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, described the logistics of keeping apart different bubbles of children as “mind-boggling”.
Disruption
He added: “However, we recognise the options about how to bring all children back to school in the autumn are limited.”
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, warned: “The situation in Leicester this week has demonstrated this crisis is far from over, and there will be further disruption ahead.
“It is therefore essential that Government continues to monitor the data when it comes to school return and that it also has a credible Plan B in place should it be required.”