Commenting on the government’s new rules for Covid
management in schools and colleges as part of step 4 of the
roadmap for England, Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the
Association of School and College Leaders, said:
“These rules represent a significant relaxation in the Covid
controls that schools and colleges have to follow, which will
understandably be greeted with some trepidation after the events
of the past 15 months. But we have to put an end to the
educational disruption that has blighted the lives of children
and young people during the pandemic and it simply would not be
fair to them to continue with the current controls when the adult
population is largely vaccinated.
“Crucially, from 16 August, children who are close contacts of
positive Covid cases will no longer be required to self-isolate
and this will remove the main reason for current Covid-related
pupil absence. They will instead be advised to take a PCR test.
“Close contacts will still need to be identified and contacted,
but from 19 July this responsibility will move from schools and
colleges to NHS Test and Trace. We have repeatedly argued that
the responsibility for contact tracing should not fall on school
and college staff because this is a public health duty, so this
change is welcome, if overdue.
“The scrapping of bubbles should remove some of the current
barriers to offering children and young people a full timetable
of lessons and return school life to something which seems much
more normal, and we very much hope that the autumn term and its
routines will feel much more settled and familiar.
“But it is important to note that this is not an all-or-nothing
situation and a system of controls will remain in place,
including the flexibility to reintroduce more stringent measures
in the event of local outbreaks of coronavirus. This will be
logistically challenging, but seems a prudent and reassuring
safeguard.
“There are aspects of the new arrangements that concern us. The
requirement for secondary school and college students to be given
two on-site Covid tests at the start of the autumn term is a huge
logistical exercise which has once again been landed on leaders
and their staff without much thought. The government must step up
to the mark and provide them with significant support to deliver
this public health requirement. We will continue to push for this
to happen.
“Schools and colleges are also being told to ensure that
classrooms are well ventilated but this is easier said than done
when it is the middle of winter and it is too cold to keep doors
and windows open. The government should be providing financial
support to enable them to invest in high-quality ventilation
systems.
“School and college leaders will certainly have other questions
and concerns about the fine detail of the government’s plans, and
we will continue to work with the government on their behalf to
ensure their views are heard and acted upon.
“We are not fully out of the woods yet, and the progress of the
virus will need to be closely monitored in the autumn term and
probably beyond, but we sincerely hope that the new system of
controls marks an important step towards a much more settled
educational experience for children and young people.”
