London schools: Khan confirms primary schools to remain closed
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson yesterday confirmed all primary schools in London will remain shut next week as the capital battles with high levels of coronavirus infections. Most other primary schools are still expected to re-open on Monday while secondary schools will re-open on a staggered basis, with exam year pupils returning on January 11 and others returning a week later.
The Government must end its bitty, piecemeal approach and act decisively
But while the London move has been welcomed as the “right decision”, the Government was also accused of making another U-turn just days after it told some schools to reopen for the new term.
And unions are now calling for all schools in England to remain closed amid the rapid spread of the new covid-19 variant.
Unison head of education Jon Richards said: “The Government must end its bitty, piecemeal approach and act decisively by delaying the start of term for all schools by two weeks because of spiralling infection rates.
“Unison has been calling for this ‘circuit-break’ since well before Christmas.
“Ministers should also ensure any moves to extend the vaccine priority list must cover all school staff and not just teachers.”
Should schools re-open next week? (Image: PA)
Tom Prestwich, a head teacher of a primary school in south London, said he learned about the change in policy on Twitter yesterday afternoon.
He said: “We’d actually just sent a letter out to parents saying that we were still opening next week, and then after that the story broke pretty much straight away.
“I was half expecting some kind of change of policy but by the time it gets to 5pm on a Bank Holiday Friday, you kind of think they might have stuck with a decision, although I am glad that they’ve changed this one.”
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All London primary schools will remain closed next week (Image: PA)
He said the timing was “really frustrating” and added: “We appreciate it’s a fast-moving situation, the Government must be getting different health advice all of the time, but schools do need to plan.
“We will be opening for quite a few pupils next week, we’ll need two rotas of staff, one to deliver to vulnerable pupils, pupils without decent internet access, pupils with special educational needs, and another to deliver high-quality online learning.
“All of that takes time and this decision could have been made two weeks ago.”
There are growing calls for all schools to delay the start of the new term (Image: PA)
The Government has also been criticised over its plans to run mass asymptomatic testing in secondary schools.
Test supplies are due to be delivered to schools on Monday, with education union leaders estimating a secondary school with 1,000 pupils will need approximately 21 trained volunteers to carry it out.
Dave Lee-Allan, the head teacher of Stowmarket High School in Suffolk, said the rollout has been “frustrating”, and that it would take at least a week for his school to be operational.
He outlined problems with space in the school building, as well as training and vetting the volunteers that have come forward to help.
He said: “Senior leaders in the school have now got a huge extra weight and challenge given to them as to how we operate this and this, I have to say, has been utterly chaotic, that’s the headline being used today, this whole process.”
Mr Lee-Allan said he would not open his school if he felt it was not fully prepared, adding: “It’s got to be safe.
“Previously, the Government has been saying it would take legal action but I think in these sorts of circumstances, it should be left to the head teachers on the ground to make the right call.”
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UK coronavirus cases (Image: EXPRESS.CO.UK)
Sam Williamson, a head teacher in Bristol, told BBC Breakfast her secondary school was prepared for the rollout of mass testing after senior staff had “three or four” days off for Christmas.
She said: “The basic plan is in place and we will actually be ready to go as long as tests arrive on time and we’ve got enough volunteers, which we think we have.”
