Responding to the statement by Education Secretary in the
Commons, Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of NASUWT –
The Teachers’ Union said:
“The announcement from the Education Secretary comes as little
surprise given the statements made by the Prime Minister less
than 24 hours ago.
“No one wants to see pupils’ education facing further disruption
but it is unclear how the Government’s announcements as a whole
will prevent further disruption from happening.
“Removing the requirement for pupils to self-isolate when they
have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive
may well accelerate the spread of the virus in schools and cause
even higher levels of disruption for pupils and teachers.
“Today’s announcement comes against a backdrop of rising numbers
of new cases and increased hospitalisations which are unlikely to
peak until the end of August, just as schools prepare to reopen
for the start of the new term.
“The announcement that there will be a requirement for onsite
testing of pupils at the start of the autumn term is welcome;
however, the Government needs to confirm to schools that they
will be able to deploy additional mitigations to prevent the
spread of the virus if they believe it is necessary to do so.
“The Government must also publish the scientific evidence and
advice it is relying on to support the changes it is planning to
make.
“Schools will also be looking to the Government for clear
guidance on how they will be expected to deal with conflicting
views from parents over safety and how to prevent pupils who
refuse to be tested from spreading the virus on to others.
“Yet again, the government announcements risk more confusion at a
time when there is a need for clarity and certainty.
“Today’s announcement, by putting the responsibility for safety
onto individuals and schools, represents a fundamental failure of
the government to steer the country safely out of the pandemic.”
