Coronavirus daily round-up: Monday 8 June
Fiona Simpson
Monday, June 8, 2020
Schools in the North West of England have been warned not to reopen due to an increase in the the infection rate (R rate) of Covid-19 in the region.
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Each day, CYP Now will summarise the key issues affecting the children and families sector as it tackles the effects of the pandemic. The daily update signposts children’s services practitioners and leaders to the latest developments, expert views, advice and resources.
Schools in North West told ‘stay closed’
Schools in the North West of England were today warned to postpone reopening as Covid-19’s crucial R-rate rose above one in the area, indicating a heightened risk of the disease spreading.
The NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union, has written to a number of local authorities in the North West urging them to reconsider their plans to continue with the wider reopening of schools.
Health officials at Blackburn with Darwen council, which runs 85 schools in Lancashire, emailed on Friday evening advising them not to reopen today.
Public health officials in Tameside, Greater Manchester, also advised schools to delay reopening for pupils other than vulnerable children and those of key workers until 22 June.
Government invests in teachers’ mental health
The Department for Education has invested £95,000 in mental health support for teachers amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The funding comes as part of a package to support the wellbeing and development of school staff and pupils. A further £75,000 has been put towards the Diana Award, the Anti-Bullying Alliance and the Anne Frank Trust - to help hundreds of schools and colleges build relationships between pupils, boost their resilience, and continue to tackle bullying both in person and online.
It comes as a new report from the National Children’s Bureau warns of the increased impact of coronavirus on the mental health of under-fives.
Children’s Commissioner criticises ‘poor’ decision to end free school meals scheme
The Children’s Commissioner for England Anne Longfield has written to Chancellor Rishi Sunak branding the government’s decision not to fund school meals over the summer holidays “short-sighted”.
Longfield highlights research which predicts that as many as 300,000 children will be thrown into poverty by Covid-19.
The letter states: “It is particularly unfortunate that the announcement of your decision coincides with figures from the Office of Budget Responsibility showing that the overall package of support you have announced extends to £132bn. It reflects very poorly on the importance the Government places on children that within £132bn of spending you cannot find a few million pounds to keep children fed.”
Sunflowers mark ‘new start’ for early years settings
The London Early Years Foundation (LEYF) is calling on all early years settings across the UK to plant sunflower seeds as part of its new Standing Tall for Early Years campaign.
The campaign aims to celebrate all the great achievements seen in the sector during the pandemic, LEFY said.
Nursery staff are encouraged to post photos of their sunflowers – and a tape measure to record how tall they are – and post them on Twitter tagging @leyfonline using the hashtag #standingtall4EY
Free information session for parents of deaf children
Deaf children’s charity Auditory Verbal UK will host a free online information session about auditory verbal therapy for parents of deaf children.
Parents can ask questions to a senior therapist to learn more about how to implement auditory verbal strategies at home and how to work with therapists online during the pandemic.
Auditory verbal therapy is a specialised form of speech therapy aimed at helping deaf children learn to listen and talk.
