THE GOVERNMENT needs to do more to reassure parents that schools will be safe to return to in September.
Earlier today, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said that restrictions on group sizes would be lifted to allow schools, colleges and nurseries to fully reopen for the new school year.
The Government plans include keeping pupils to class-sized ‘bubbles’ with older children and staff members socially distancing where possible.
And there will be calls for children to regularly wash their hands.
If there are two or more cases of Covid-19 in a school over a two-week period, affected bubbles will be sent home to self-isolate.
And where an outbreak in a school is confirmed, for specific detailed investigations a mobile testing unit may be dispatched to test others who may have been in contact with the person who has tested positive. Testing will first focus on the person’s class, followed by their year group, then the whole school if necessary.
Mr Williamson said: “Nothing can replace being in the classroom, so ever since schools, colleges and nurseries closed to most children, we have been working hard to ensure they can reopen as soon as possible.
“We have already seen more than 1.5 million children and young people return, but we must make sure all pupils can go back to school in September, giving them the opportunity to thrive and fulfil their potential.
“I want to reassure parents and families that we are doing everything we can to make sure schools, nurseries, colleges and other providers are as safe as possible for children and staff, and will continue to work closely with the country’s best scientific and medical experts to ensure that is the case.”
Cllr Teresa Heritage, Vice Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, said that the new guidance provides a framework for schools and councils to start preparing for to reopen, but need space to drawn up detailed plans.
“Councils want all children to return to school to continue with their education and we also want to work with the Government, education leaders and schools to make sure the national effort is a success,” she said.
“It is therefore vitally important that the Department for Education provides the reassurance that parents need to send children back to school, and remains in dialogue with school leaders to tackle outstanding issues, such as the provision of home-to-school transport and sanctions for non-attendance, and work with schools and parents to secure full attendance in September.
“Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, we have shown that by working together we can achieve the best outcomes for our communities. As we look to return to normal, councils want to continue working closely with the Government and local partners to address practical issues and to provide any necessary resources.
“Councils can play a key role in the Government’s Test and Trace programme and it is therefore important to give councils the powers to manage outbreaks in schools if new Covid-19 clusters emerge.”
