Boris Johnson was warned today that it would be ‘reckless’ to send all children back to school in a fortnight’s time amid calls for the reopening of classrooms to be sped up.
Nine trade unions ganged up on the PM today to demand a ‘phased return’ only for millions of children who have been out of the classroom since the start of January.
Mr Johnson is expected to unveil his roadmap out of lockdown on Monday, with a March 8 restart date anticipated for schools in England.
But how many children will go back straight away is still being debated by ministers. Schools in Scotland will reopen on Monday February 22, but only to a few primary and secondary years at first, with more returning later in March.
In a letter orchestrated by the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), education union leaders said they were ‘increasingly concerned’ that the Government could go ahead with a full return of all pupils in England on March 8.
The joint statement said: ‘This would seem a reckless course of action. It could trigger another spike in Covid infections, prolong the disruption of education and risk throwing away the hard-won progress made in suppressing the virus over the course of the latest lockdown.
Nine trade unions ganged up on the PM today to demand a ‘phased return’ for millions of children who have been out of the classroom since the start of January.
All primary school pupils and those facing exams will return to classrooms in Wales by March 15 so long as the Covid-19 situation ‘continues to improve,’ Mark Drakeford said today
‘The science around the role that schools play in the overall rate of transmission is uncertain. ‘
It adds: ‘What we do know is that the full reopening of schools will bring nearly 10 million pupils and staff into circulation in England – close to one fifth of the population. This is not a small easing of lockdown restrictions. It is a massive step.
‘These factors necessitate a cautious approach with wider school and college opening phased over a period of time.’
As well as the ASCL, the statement was signed by the GMB, National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), NASUWT, National Education Union (NEU), National Governance Association (NGA), Sixth Form Colleges’ Association (SFCA), Unison, and Unite.
It came as a school leader warned mass-testing will mean some pupils won’t go back to school until April.
The comments by Steve Chalke, founder of the Oasis multi-academy trust which runs more than 50 schools nationwide, comes as Mr Johnson is facing opposition to his plan for widespread, simultaneous returns from teaching unions and Matt Hancock.
The academy chief is leading calls for a staggered return for pupils, insisting a secondary school with around 2,000 students would likely have to invite one year group back each week to carry out testing on such a scale.
Even if it did begin early next month as the Prime Minister proposes, such a process would not realistically be completed until the week of April 19, education bosses claim.
Mr Chalke told the Telegraph: ‘You need a waiting area, a testing area, a holding area, an administrative area and an isolation area for people who test positive.
‘You need to have someone in charge of it all, someone to assist with the testing, someone in charge of the collation of the data, someone in charge of the hosting area, someone in charge of waste disposal, someone to oversee the isolation area – it is quite an operation.’
He added that schools would become ‘a medical centre’ if more than one year group was being brought in for testing at the same time.
All primary school pupils and those facing exams will return to classrooms in Wales by March 15 so long as the Covid-19 situation ‘continues to improve,’ Mark Drakeford said today.
The First Minister will announce no further changes to the country’s level four restrictions – which have been in place since December 20 – as stay-at-home rules are extended for at least another three weeks.
Children aged between three and seven will resume face-to-face classes from Monday, Mr Drakeford confirmed.
There will also be returns for some vocational learners, including apprentices, to colleges so they can access training for their practical qualifications.
‘I’ll be saying today that on Monday March 15, provided things continue to improve, all primary school children will be back in face-to-face education and those students in secondary schools who are facing examinations, we aim to get them back in the classroom as well,’ the Labour leader said.
‘And then we will carefully review as part of our deal with our teaching unions and local education authorities. We take a step, we collect the evidence, we decide what to do next.’