Unions and governors urge cautious reopening of schools

Teacher unions and governors are pushing the government to endorse a cautious and flexible approach to the reopening of schools as part of coronavirus control measures, as Boris Johnson prepares to announce the return to English classrooms from March 8.

Educators have urged officials to give headteachers the freedom to manage attendance by using rotas ahead of the prime minister’s announcement on Monday. This would allow each school to reduce overcrowding in classrooms and minimise the spread of the virus to avoid a spike in cases that could lead to full closure. 

“We are concerned there haven’t been more in-depth discussions about different options,” said Emma Knights, chief executive of the National Governance Association. “Those should include rotas, which could help limit overcrowding, especially for older children who are better able to learn remotely at home for part of the week.”

As discussions with sector leaders continued this week, policymakers have been seeking to strike a balance between keeping coronavirus rates down and bringing children back to school as soon as possible.

But Johnson is expected on Monday to signal the easing of the third lockdown from early March with the return of all primary school children, according to several people involved in the talks.

Officials are yet to decide whether secondary students should face a staggered return to allow schools to conduct at least two coronavirus tests per pupil before they are allowed back in the classroom.

“The logistics are more complicated than you think,” said Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders. “You end up having to slow down the return to school, so it has to be a phased return for secondary and further education.”

To reduce the burden on schools, the government is also considering requiring pupils to have weekly tests at home once they are back at school, the people involved in the talks said.

We are not reassured, given what happened last year

Government officials refused to comment on the details of the plans, which are yet to be finalised.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson is under pressure to ensure the back-to-school plans run smoothly following a number of U-turns and failures in communication that led to a near-breakdown in relations with teachers earlier in the pandemic.

Last month, Williamson promised to give teachers two weeks notice for reopening schools, committing to end what had become a habit of last-minute announcements.

But while those close to the talks said communication had improved, they said more was needed to ensure sector leaders had proper input.

Knights said the sector remained unconvinced that schools could run safely at their full capacity.

“We are not reassured, given what happened last year and the transmission rate of the variants, of the scientific basis for believing this number of people inside in secondary schools is reasonable,” she said. “We need to do something differently from the autumn to avoid lockdown four.”

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of headteachers, said the possibility of rotas should be considered, but warned they were “not a panacea”.

“School leaders need the freedom to use their professional judgment,” he said. “Whenever we go back, whenever the return is, it has to command confidence and it has to be sustainable. It’s got to be got absolutely right this time round.”