SCHOOL RETURN BRANDED A JOY
THE return to school in England from tomorrow will “mark a moment of joy for millions”, the Education Secretary said.
As this phase of lockdown begins to ease, the Prime Minister hailed the “truly national effort to beat” the virus.
The Government said 57 million tests have been delivered to help keep on top of the pandemic, with a million taking place last week alone.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson thanked children and their families for their efforts, saying it had been vital for pupils to return to the classroom.
He said: “Tomorrow will mark a moment of joy for millions of people across the country – from the students going back to class, to the teachers who can’t wait to get them back – as young people walk through their school and college gates, and are reunited with their friends.
“I do not underestimate how challenging the past few months have been, with some children in class and most at home, but I do know how important it is for all children to be back in school. Not only for their education but for their mental health and wellbeing.
“I’ve been visiting schools and speaking to staff who have been preparing for the full return and their sheer dedication and selflessness has shone through.”
Boris Johnson urged families and children to remain cautious in case they undermined the work already done.
He said: “The reopening of schools marks a truly national effort to beat this virus.
“It is because of the determination of every person in this country that we can start moving closer to a sense of normality – and it is right that getting our young people back into the classroom is the first step. We are being
cautious in our approach so that we do not undo the progress we have made so far and I urge you all not to give up on your efforts to keep your families and others safe.
“Get the vaccine, get tested and remember that we are all in this together.”
In the past week, many secondary schools and colleges started inviting students for their first rapid lateral flow tests.
Schools and colleges have discretion on how to stagger the return of their students over the next week to facilitate testing and their safe return to the classroom. Schools
in Scotland and Wales were opened last month.
After three initial tests on site, students will be provided with two rapid tests to use each week at home.
Twice-weekly lateral flow tests will be provided to all adults in households with children in school or college.they will also be offered to adults working in the wider school community.
Secondary school and college students have also been asked to wear face coverings as an additional safety measure.
The Government has pledged an expansion
partially of small group tutoring across all age groups as part of a £1.7billion package to get education back up and running.
The return to school comes as it emerged that many parents think it will take at least a school year for their child to recover the learning lost during the pandemic.
Around two-thirds of parents are concerned their child has missed out on learning, an Institute for Fiscal Studies survey has found.
A third of those parents think recovery will take a school year or more – and nine per cent of secondary school parents think their child will never make up for the effects of the pandemic.
Child experts welcomed the return but warned there are too many conditions in place and accused the Government of failing to put children first and instead “prioritising the worries of adults”.
Masks and repeated testing were key concerns. Ellen Townsend, a professor of psychology at the University of Nottingham, said both could do “more harm than good”, by adding physical and mental risks to children.
She said: “Countless psychologists and educational specialists have asked the Government to focus on the social and emotional aspects of going back to school. Masks will make this much harder as they impair communication and make it harder to reconnect.
“Regular testing is also likely to be damaging and a constant reminder to the child that they might be a carrier of the disease – which will make many extremely stressed or more apprehensive.”
She said evidence that wearing a mask in schools prevented Covid is flimsy but there is growing evidence showing harms.
Lateral flow tests have also faced criticism, with results said to be unreliable and giving false positives or negatives.
Professor Sheila Bird, a member of the Royal Statistical Society, said false positives are “very likely” and suggested every positive be checked with a PCR test.
But Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser for NHS Test and Trace, defended the tests.
She said: “Public Health England and Oxford University have performed extensive clinical validation and field evaluations to assess and understand the performance of the tests.
“They detect the majority of cases with high levels of virus, who are the most likely to transmit it.”