Calls for school closures as coronavirus cases soar
Fiona Simpson
Monday, January 4, 2021
Council leaders and teaching unions are calling for schools to be closed amid a surge in coronavirus cases across the UK.
The row comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson refused to rule out harsher restrictions, including a third lockdown, for England in the coming weeks as cases of the virus soared above levels seen before the first full national lockdown was imposed in March last year.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson announced over the Christmas break that schools across London would close for at least the first two weeks of term, despite primary schools in other areas of the country remaining open while secondary school and college students are subject to a phased return with mass testing in place at settings.
The NAHT union said it has taken steps to launch legal proceedings against the Department for Education.
According to the union, the process covers “a wide range of issues from the scientific advice the government is drawing on, right through to the proposed arrangements for covid testing in schools”.
In a message to members, the NAHT union said: “Many of you have been in touch to point out some of the starker anomalies and inconsistencies in the list of high-risk areas and, along with others, we have been pursuing all of these. We saw the government announce that all London boroughs would now be told to follow the contingency framework. We will continue to press this issue for other parts of the country.”
The Association of School and College Leaders has also joined the action, and the DfE has until 4pm today (4 January) to respond.
Meanwhile, the National Education Union (NEU) has called on all primary schools to use remote education during the first two weeks of term.
A joint statement signed by unions GMB, NAHT, NASUWT, NEU, Unison and Unite said: "The government’s chaotic handling of the opening of schools has caused confusion for teachers, school staff and parents alike. Bringing all pupils back into classrooms while the rate of infection is so high is exposing education sector workers to serious risk of ill-health and could fuel the pandemic.
"Unions have called for a pause in the reopening of schools for anyone other than vulnerable children and children of key workers, and a move to remote learning for all while Covid-secure working arrangements are reviewed. All school staff continuing to work in schools should be given priority access to Covid-19 vaccinations."
The leader of Birmingham City Council has joined calls for a full national lockdown including the closure of all primary and special schools.
Ian Ward told BBC West Midlands: “At the moment I don’t know how many primary schools won’t be reopening but we will be collating that data as we go through the morning.
“We are advising all primary schools and special schools to carry out a risk assessment and to determine whether it’s safe to reopen for the spring term.
“If that risk assessment indicates it’s not safe for schools to reopen then Birmingham City Council will stand behind teaching staff in making that decision.”
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “Instead of being pressured into opening, head teachers should be supported to make decisions which they believe are right for their children, school and community.
“We will continue to make this case to the government.”
Councillor Judith Blake, chair of the Local Government Association’s children and young people board, said “keeping schools open for the wellbeing and education of children and young people is hugely important” but raised concerns over “the operational logistics of testing in secondary schools” due to a last minute decision to announce testing plans three days before schools were set to reopen to exam students.
“While we support the premise of testing before term restarts, it is crucial that all secondary schools are properly supported and able to effectively administer these tests without significant disruption to the children’s learning.
“It is also important that schools are properly linked with local test and trace teams so that cases in schools can be effectively traced in the local community,” she said.
Labour MPs have also called on leader Keir Starmer to back calls for the closure of schools as he calls on Johnson to reinstate full lockdown measures, however, Ofsted’s chief inspector Amanda Spielman has said closures “put children's lives on hold” and should be kept to an "absolute minimum”.
MP Robert Halfon, chair of the Education Select Committee, has urged government to ensure free school meals vouchers are available to children forced to learn from home due to closures.
He also said on Twitter: “If sadly government [is] moving inexorably to more school closures, DfE should 1. Do risk assessment on impact on children re lost learning & mental health 2. make sure teachers & support staff are priority for vaccines 3. Rocket boost catch-up fund.”
In Scotland, schools are due to reopen on 11 January after a week of remote learning, however, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said plans are “under review”. Northern Ireland has introduced similar plans with secondary school exam pupils and primary school pupils returning first.
Wales has implemented a flexible phased return for all schools from as early as Wednesday (6 January).
The row comes amid fears children are more susceptible to a new strain of Covid-19 rapidly spreading across the UK.
However, a statement from Professor Russell Viner, president of Royal College of Paediatricians and Child Health said: “Children’s wards are usually busy in winter.
“As of now we are not seeing significant pressure from Covid-19 in paediatrics across the UK. As cases in the community rise there will be a small increase in the number of children we see with Covid-19, but the overwhelming majority of children and young people have no symptoms or very mild illness only. The new variant appears to affect all ages and, as yet, we are not seeing any greater severity amongst children and young people.”
