Government must publish plan for reopening schools now say Lib Dems

The calls follows the Education Secretary confirming a plan was in place to the Education Select Committee this morning. The Liberal Democrats want the the Government to follow the lead of Wales’ Lib Dem education secretary, Kirsty Williams, who earlier this week published 5 guiding principles for determining how and when Welsh schools should reopen.

In the letter to the Education Secretary, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Layla Moran calls for schools to be individually risk assessed before they can be reopened. This assessment would give the Government a clear idea of how much PPE is needed in each school.

Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Layla Moran said:

“Once again, Kirsty Williams in Wales is showing the Department for Education the way. Her five point plan for reopening schools is exactly what we need in England. The Government should publish its plan, now we know there is one, as confirmed by the Education Secretary this morning.

“Reopening schools can’t be a top-down affair. The number and type of risks is complex and will differ from school to school. The Government needs to work with school leaders now, not later, to put this in place ahead of time. Only when school staff have the PPE they need, as per their risk assessment, should they be able to reopen.

“The Liberal Democrats are calling for the Government to publish its plan for reopening schools in England and to work with schools urgently to begin risk assessing so that the danger to children, staff and parents when they do reopen is minimised.”

ENDS.

Notes for editors:

The Welsh Govt's 5 guiding principles for determining how and when Welsh schools should reopen can be found here.

Please see Layla Moran's letter below.

Dear Gavin,

I am writing to express my concern that the Government has not given sufficient thought to making schools safe for when they reopen. The Government has sensibly not committed to a date until the pandemic is under control, but it has also not put in place measures to keep school pupils and education staff safe when they do return.

If we are to safely reopen schools to all pupils, we must begin preparations now. I praise the Government’s decision earlier this month to make testing available to all key workers including teachers but more needs to be done. I am therefore calling on the Government to make sure that all education staff are provided with appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and to ensure that all schools are individually risk assessed before being reopened. This cannot be done in a matter of days. If we are to reopen schools safely, we must begin to implement these plans as a matter of urgency.

Teachers and education staff have done an excellent job of applying the recommended health guidelines and are helping to keep key workers’ children healthy and safe by applying social distancing and plenty of hand washing. Many schools, however, are only currently accommodating a fraction of the usual number of pupils. When schools are reopened, teachers will find it almost impossible to maintain social distancing, especially in schools made up of older buildings and smaller classrooms. By assessing possible hazards in each individual school, we can allow education staff and teachers to make efforts to mitigate any potential risks, moving classes to school halls and staggering parent collection times at the school gates, for example.

In addition, this assessment will set out the level of PPE required by staff. It is now more important than ever that teachers are given their PPE, to slow the spread of infection and keep the children in their charge, their families and themselves safe. One area in particular where PPE is needed more than most is in special needs schools. The Government’s own guidance significantly over-estimates education staff’s ability to maintain social distancing for children with more complex needs. Of course, with supplies of PPE as low as they currently are, it is imperative that frontline medical staff and care workers are fully supplied first. As the availability of PPE begins to increase, however, it is vital that teachers and education staff be given the means to protect themselves and the children in their care.

Only when staff have sustainable access to PPE, a level which must be set out in each school’s risk assessment, should the Government even consider schools being re-opened for all pupils. If these conditions are not met, then schools cannot be deemed safe and must remain closed.

In order to further slow this pandemic and help keep teachers and education staff safe, the Government have rightly announced that teachers and education staff will be eligible for testing. Despite their best efforts, members of staff find themselves in frequent contact with children that, although at low risk of serious illness, have been shown to carry the disease without showing symptoms. Medical staff must of course take precedence for testing as they are in constant contact with known carries of the virus. But as the availability of testing increases, it is essential that testing key workers, such as teachers and education staff, are made a priority.

The Lib Dem Education Minister in Wales, Kirsty Williams, set out five key guiding principles to determine when and how schools will re-open. We should follow the lead of our devolved nations and use Wales as an example in times like these. The five guiding principles are as follows:

1. The safety and mental, emotional and physical wellbeing of students and staff – such as through ensuring adequate levels of PPE as mentioned above
2. Continuing contribution to the national effort and strategy to fight the spread of COVID-19
3. Having the confidence of parents, staff and students – based on evidence and information – so that they can plan ahead
4. Ability to prioritise learners at key points, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds
5. Consistency with the Government’s legislation, to have guidance in place to support measures such as social distancing, managing attendance and wider protective actions

The Department for Education should commit to following this 5-point plan, as the basis of its approach as the Welsh Government has, in order to ensure that students, teachers and parents feel both safe and at ease when schools are ready to be reopened.

The widening disadvantage gap across our education system is leaving children behind and we will continue to press the Government to make greater efforts to tackle it. Part of that solution is reopening schools, but not until it is safe to do so. That is why it is imperative that we take action now, so that all children and education staff, both now and when schools reopen, are safe. Only when we are testing widely, supplying PPE and properly risk assessing school buildings, will we be able to safely reopen schools.

Thank you in advance for reading this letter, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Layla Moran MP