Boris Johnson’s ambition to reopen primary schools on June 1 could be scrapped amid mass dissension from teachers, unions and growing numbers of Labour councils, it was revealed today.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said the Government would ‘listen to their concerns’ about safety and insisted opening schools in 12 days was not a ‘hard deadline’ only part of a ‘roadmap’ out of lockdown.
A poll from teachers’ union NASUWT suggested that only 5% of teachers think it will be safe for more pupils to return to school next month.
In a letter to the Education Secretary, Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT, said the union remains ‘unconvinced’ that wider reopening of schools from June 1 is ‘appropriate or practicable’.
The survey, of nearly 29,000 NASUWT members across England, found that around nine in 10 teachers believe that social distancing will be impossible, or will present major issues and a similar proportion are not confident that the proposed measures will protect their health or the health of pupils.
It also found that 87% of teachers believe that PPE is essential to protect staff against the virus.
A phalanx of Labour councils have pledged to ‘resist’ Mr Johnson’s schools plan with former party leader Jeremy Corbyn speaking at a National Education Union (NEU) rally tomorrow to argue it is unsafe to return to schools early next month. But the party’s new boss Sir Keir Starmer is yet to get off the fence on the issue.
The Government wants a phased reopening from June 1, with Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils going back first as a row rumbles on about whether it is safe with Education Gavin Williamson insisting getting children back to school on that date is vital for their development and prospects so teachers should ‘do their duty’.
But Dr Roach said today: ‘The results of our survey underscore the fact that the Government has thus far failed to win the trust and confidence of teachers about the safety of reopening schools.
‘It is now imperative that the Government takes every available opportunity to provide the necessary assurances that teachers are seeking.’
This morning John Edmunds, professor of infectious disease modelling at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a member of the influential SAGE committee, told the House of Lords science and technology committee: ‘It looks like the risk to children is low, and that the vast majority don’t have significant symptoms’.
And leading World Health Organisation medic Dr David Nabarro has backed the phased return of schoolchildren saying: ‘There will be risks but it’s a case of balancing up the risks. You don’t want children staying at home and missing out on school for a long time.’.
Millions of children across Europe, including France, have returned to school this month with no major spike in coronavirus cases yet.
Children work in segregated positions at Kempsey Primary School in Worcester today, but many schools are expected not to open more fully on June 1 as councils, teachers and unions refused to support the plan
Union chiefs have told teachers to demand detailed answers to at least 169 questions from their bosses on issues such as bin lids, coronavirus counselling and employing extra staff to clean paint brushes, scissors and glue sticks before agreeing to return to school, it was revealed today.
The National Education Union has also told its 450,000 members to stop marking work and keep online tuition ‘to a minimum’ for any children still at home and not to try remote teaching if ‘they feel uncomfortable’ after going back to the classroom from next month.
The NEU’s gigantic list of demands includes mapped locations of lidded bins in classrooms and around the school, full health and safety risk assessments for leaving doors and windows open while teaching and also asks: ‘What arrangements are in place to keep every classroom supplied with tissues?’.
Other queries from the NEU include: ‘Have families been told to provide water bottles?’ and suggests grilling bosses about bringing in more staff specifically for washing ‘resources for painting, sticking and cutting before and after use’ in classrooms and an official policy on how often pupils will be reminded to catch coughs and sneezes with a tissue or elbow.
The NEU’s safety checklist has been hailed by many teachers but critics have said the 22-page document is a ‘barrier’ to reopening primary schools in England from June 1 because it appears impossible to answer all the questions before then and may spook headteachers who fear their own staff could take them to court.
Richard Marshall, the union’s Learning and Development organiser, tweeted last night that the number of ‘unanswered’ questions from its 450,000 members was more like 1,000, to which one primary school teacher replied: ‘I can answer most of them with one sentence – use your bl**dy common sense’.
Today a growing list of councils told their headteachers not to reopen on June 1, with Brighton and Hove, Calderdale, Solihull, Slough and Teesside joining Stockport, Bury, Liverpool, Wirral and Hartlepool despite schools already reopening successfully in 22 states across Europe this month with no major coronavirus spikes.
Former prime minister Tony Blair last night backed calls for pupils to go back to school, saying some children were receiving no education at all with Education Secretary Gavin Williamson insisting getting children back to school as soon as possible is vital for their development and prospects.
MailOnline can reveal that some parents who want to send their children back to school so they can get back to work have been lambasted by teachers who claim they are being ‘hung out to dry’ by the Government.
As millions wait to hear if their children will return to school on Monday, it has also emerged:
- British teachers are today being urged to follow the lead of their French counterparts by going back to work and more than 1.4million children returned to class after two months in lockdown;
- Former prime minister Tony Blair weighed in and backed Boris Johnson’s calls for pupils to go back to school, saying some children were receiving no education at all;
- Some schools have already ruled out opening and those planning to will halve class sizes to 15, clean tables and toys and stagger lunch breaks;
- Seven councils, mostly Labour-run authorities such as Bury in the north-west, have already ruled out reopening schools on time while Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham warned last night: ‘I worry it’s too soon’;
Scroll down to see the all the questions the unions want answered before June 1.
Schoolchildren wearing protective mouth masks and face shields back in class at Claude Debussy college in Angers, France, where 1.4million youngsters are back in class
Teaching Assistant Sarah Yates applies tape to the floor to define a 2m boundary around the teacher’s workspace in Huddersfield as unions demand answers to hundreds of questions before teachers return
Answers to questions about bin locations, staff to wash paint brushes and scissors and counsellors for staff and children as the lockdown eases have been demanded
Teachers have been told by union chiefs that it will ‘not be safe to mark children’s books’. The National Education Union claims schools should make it clear that no marking should take place because of the risk of coronavirus.
It also says that library books should be regularly sanitised as part of a ‘workplace checklist’ for primaries.
Referring to its 22-page checklist, it says: ‘The starting point for every component of the checklist is that it is checked NO until you and your colleagues determine it can be checked YES.
‘School staff will not be protected by social distancing rules nor, in most cases, will they be offered any personal protective equipment. If satisfactory answers are not forthcoming in all areas, then it will not be feasible or safe to extend opening until concerns are met.’
Among the questions the checklist poses are: ‘It will not be safe to mark children’s books during this period. Will clear instruction be given that no marking should take place and the books should not be taken to and from home/school?’
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair says that schools should return as soon as possible.
Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, the co-leaders of the NEU teachers union, have been spearheading the response to the Government’s June 1 reopening plans
Mr Blair told BBC Newsnight: ‘If you look at all the best evidence, and my Institute has assembled a lot of the different data on this, especially for younger children, the risks of transmission are actually quite low.
‘Private schools will have been educating their children throughout this.
‘Parts of the state system will have been. But then there are some children who will have been having no education at all.’
Labour-run Bury council announced yesterday it would reject the Government’s timetable for sending children back to class, claiming they had taken the decision after a public consultation. But it was later revealed the public consultation had more than 24 hours to run.
Calderdale Council in West Yorkshire has become the latest local authority to advise its schools against reopening on June 1 amid safety concerns.
Councillor Tim Swift, leader of the council, said: ‘Education plays a crucial role in making sure children have a good start in life, laying the foundations so that they are able to enjoy a long, healthy and fulfilling future.
‘However, the council has major concerns that the Government’s tests are not currently being met within Calderdale, and for this reason we are advising our schools against opening more widely on June 1.’
Cabinet minister Oliver Dowden refused to rule out penalties for town halls that refuse to reopen schools from June 1.
The NEU instead is urging strict two metre social distancing measures remain in place – as is being done in other workplaces. The planning document also includes a 20-page safety checklist, written jointly with fellow unions, Unite, Unison and GMB, which it will urge its members to go through with bosses before they return to schools
‘Health and safety reps have the legal right to be consulted on the risk assessment and future amendments,’ the document states. Pictured right is a summary of checklist questions for representatives to answer, including: ‘Are you satisfied with the cleaning and hygiene arrangements that will operate from when extended opening begins?’
Pictured left are more steps from the summary of checklist questions for reps to answer. Right are questions for reps to ask about site preparation
‘Reps need assurances about the systems that the head teacher will be able to implement. Without these assurances there can be no ‘expectations’ on either staff or parents,’ the document states
The DfE is asking head teachers to undertake an audit of how many staff are available, both teaching and support staff
The document states: ‘The Planning Guide is explicit that ‘unlike older children and adults, early years and primary age children cannot be expected to remain 2 metres apart from each other and staff’
The unions have asked more than 100 questions of a headteacher, which it describes as a safety checklist
The unions have asked more than 100 questions of a headteacher, which it describes as a safety checklist
Reps are given guidance to ask if individual pupil risk assessments will be in place for all pupils who ‘exhibit anti-social behaviour, eg biting, before a decision is made’
The workplace checklist tells reps to ask about what guidance will be given to staff on how to support children – and will visitors be provided PPE where necessary
Blazenka Divjak, education minister of Croatia, which holds the rotating EU presidency, told European colleagues yesterday: ‘We haven’t heard anything negative about the reopening of schools, but it is probably too early to have final conclusions.’
She noted at the video meeting that schools had imposed ‘very high security conditions’ including smaller class sizes and very close cooperation with health ministries and epidemiological services.
Tony Blair BACKS Boris Johnson’s plans to reopen schools
Many significant figures in Britain, including former Prime Minister Tony Blair (pictured) have asked for UK schools to reopen as some children are not receiving any education at all
Tony Blair has said Boris Johnson’s administration is right to be opening schools again.
The Prime Minister’s plans to start sending children back to school next month has come under attack from teaching unions and some local authorities, with critics arguing it is too soon to lift the coronavirus-related lockdown restrictions.
Mr Johnson, in his address to the nation on May 10, said Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils would be the first to go back, starting on June 1 ‘at the earliest’.
In an interview with BBC Newsnight on Monday evening, Mr Blair said the Government was adhering to scientific advice by preparing schools to open their doors again.
‘They’re right, I think, to be reopening the schools,’ said Mr Blair.
I don’t think they would say that they’re putting school opening above health risks. What they’re doing is basing it on the evidence, actually.
‘There are countries that have reopened parts, at least, of their school system.
‘If you look at all the best evidence and again, my institutes assembled a lot of the different data on this, it’s, especially for younger children, the risks of transmission are actually quite low.’
She stressed the results needed ‘to be treated with caution’ as the return to normal life was in its very early stages.
UK officials say they hoped the evidence from other countries would reassure teachers.
A source at the Department for Education said: ‘We looked closely at international examples when drawing up our plans for a phased return.
‘These initial findings from European countries are encouraging and suggest that our similarly cautious approach will minimise the risk of transmission.’
Professor Van-Tam said children were not ‘high-output transmitters’ of Covid-19.
After querying the science behind the reopening decision, union bosses last week had a private audience with Chief Medical officer Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance.
The NEU came away from the meeting saying its views were unchanged.
Eight of his predecessors have backed reopenings and the Church of England said further delays could ‘affect the mental, spiritual, physical and social wellbeing of children’.
The bosses of 22 academy trusts have also warned how delays to reopening could cause irreparable damage to vulnerable children.
In a letter to The Times, the group said: ‘Since the lockdown, schools have exercised outstanding civic leadership.
‘We have remained open for key workers’ children; kept vulnerable children safe; delivered food parcels; taught online lessons; and kept in contact with pupils.
‘But for any child, prolonged absence from school is concerning. For disadvantaged pupils, it is calamitous. If we do not take action and reopen schools soon, the impact of lost learning could be irreparable.’
Steve Chalke of the Oasis Trust, which has 35 primary schools and is planning to restart on schedule, said: ‘The Government published its advice on reopening. The unions countered with their five tests, which they said were designed to create the necessary confidence for parents and staff.
‘Now the NEU have set out questions for teachers to ask their bosses, adding that if satisfactory answers are not forthcoming in all areas, then it will not be feasible or safe to extend opening until concerns are met.
‘The Children’s Commission has told them to stop squabbling and agree a plan. I agree. As a school leader, at this moment of crisis I need – as do all parents – cooperation and conversation rather than endless confrontation and conflict.’
Former education secretary Lord Baker said: ‘Teachers should go back to working a full day on June 1. Home-learning is favouring the ‘haves’ and not the ‘have-nots’. Already two months of education have been lost and disadvantaged children will find it very challenging to catch up in a year – so, the sooner they return the better.’
The June 1 date applies only to England; schools in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are expected to go back later in the year.
Kevin Courtney, the NEU’s joint general secretary, said: ‘The checklist is detailed because there are so many considerations to take into account when dealing with a school situation, particularly as we are looking at our youngest children going back first.
‘Teachers and support staff will be responsible for ensuring safe practices are implemented, as young children will not be able to do so themselves. Parents would expect nothing less.’
A DfE spokesman said: ‘We have engaged closely with the unions throughout the past eight weeks, including organising for them to hear directly from the scientific experts last week, and will continue to do so, including to develop further guidance if required.’
The French Government feared that children and their futures would be damaged without school for two months
Students wait outside Cassignol College before returning and resuming classes in Bordeaux, France – any child over the age of 11 must wear a mask
British teachers are being urged to follow the lead of their French counterparts by going back to work and getting more than 1.4million children into class after two months in lockdown.
Ministers across the Channel have revealed that they have had 70 cases of coronavirus in 40,000 schools and nurseries in the past 11 days and none of the children or staff are seriously ill.
It came as parents have been told that when English schools reopen children still at home are unlikely to get any more online learning materials until September, when it is hoped all pupils will return.
Emmanuel Macron’s government agreed to open schools with their militant union chiefs having declared the country’s children must not be ‘the collateral victims’ of the coronavirus crisis.
The success of the back to school policy in France has been put down to a range of safeguards, including strict social distancing and use of masks, and will be examined closely in the UK where the Government is in an almighty battle with teaching unions over reopening schools in England on June 1.
And across the 20-plus EU states where schools are open again there has been no spike in cases with experts saying there is only a small risk to teachers, children and their families.
The chaos in the education system means that millions of parents remain in the dark over whether their children in reception, year 1 and year 6 will returning to school in just 13 days time.
In France around a quarter of the nation’s school children have returned to class because they live in areas deemed less affected by the virus.
It was a similar story in Belgium where primary and secondary schools have been told to restart smaller classes of final-year pupils under strict social distancing rules.
Jean-Michel Blanquer, France’s education minister, said there had been 70 cases of coronavirus in around 50 schools since reopening.
A total of 70 schools were closed as a result, to stop further infection. ‘This shows that our measures are as strict as we said they would be,’ he said.
Schools forced to shut included seven in the northern town of Roubaix, where just one boy was infected but was thought to have come into contact with pupils from other schools.
He also insisted that children who had picked up Covid-19 had not caught it inside schools, where rigorous health measures are being enforced.
Mr Blanquer added: ‘It is absolutely essential that our children are not the collateral victims of health conditions.’
A 57-page education ministry document has been handed to teachers explaining rules on social distancing.
The 96 ‘departements’, or regions, of the country were initially split into the green, yellow or red categories two weeks before lockdown was to be eased across France on May 11.
By the time this date arrived, the yellow regions were allocated to either a green or red category.
Green areas were allowed to reopen their primary schools on May 11, as well as ending some other lockdown restrictions, while red areas have had to keep schools closed.
Around 185,000 middle school pupils in green zones also went back to class yesterday. Unlike in nursery and primary schools, all staff and pupils must wear masks.
A girl wearing a face mask is pictured using hand gel from a dispenser as she arrives to school in Austria
Schools in Denmark (pictured) have reopened primary schools and nurseries and the number of coronavirus cases are in fact decreasing
Germany have opened schools for their older children, with some even taking examinations such as this biology class in Dortmund (above)
Schools in Belgium (pictured) have been maintaining strict social distancing guidelines in their classrooms
Reopening schools across Europe has not caused a spike in coronavirus cases. Evidence from 22 EU states that have restored classes suggests little or no risk to pupils, teachers or families.
The revelation piles pressure on unions resisting plans to send younger children back from June 1. The National Education Union yesterday even claimed it was not safe for teachers to mark workbooks.
But an EU meeting was told that the gradual return to school had not resulted in ‘anything negative’.
Denmark reopened primaries and nurseries a month ago and has seen infection rates continue to fall.
Norway, which is outside the EU, has taken similar action without a rise.
Around 1.4million French pupils went back to class last week and of around 40,000 schools and nurseries only 70 were closed again following virus cases.
Germany has reopened schools for older children and plans to allow younger year groups back later in the summer term.
Alan Smithers, a professor in education at the University of Buckingham, said: ‘The unions have been asking for evidence, and this is it.
‘So they should start cooperating fully with the Government so that our schools can open again as soon as possible.’