The government should re-introduce safety measures in schools,
including bubbles, social distancing and face coverings, in light
of warnings of the “exponential growth” of coronavirus amongst
children when the new academic year begins, say education unions
UNISON, GMB and Unite.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) committee
has cautioned that it’s “highly likely” there will be a high
prevalence of the virus for pupils and staff when term starts in
England, causing more disruption in learning.
After 18 months of unsettled education, it’s vital every effort
is made to minimise transmission among pupils – most of whom will
not have been vaccinated – in an effort to keep as many as
possible in class, says the unions.
Even at this stage, it is not too late to take action and avert
significant problems, the unions say. The unions have also been
calling for improved ventilation to limit further infection
spread.
UNISON assistant general secretary Jon Richards
said: “We cannot risk another year of disrupted learning. Schools
provide a safe space for pupils to build relationships, protect
their mental health and further their education.
“Given the dire warning by scientific experts, the government
must act swiftly to reintroduce safety measures, including face
coverings, as a simple way to reduce transmission.
“It’s unacceptable to knowingly jeopardise a new term by failing
to heed the experts. It’s also grossly unfair to abandon
unvaccinated children to a highly transmissible virus with
potentially serious health risks for them, their families and the
wider community.”
GMB national officer for schools Avril Chambers
said: “The SAGE report simply confirms what we already know –
without preventative measures in places, Covid will spread like
wildfire in schools.
“The experience of GMB members in Scotland confirms this.
Thousands of children have been hospitalised in the UK due to
Covid – it’s simply not true to say these are low-risk
workplaces, full of children who are not affected.
“The Government must act now to prevent an explosion of both
acute Covid cases and long-Covid in returning pupils. Schools are
still workplaces, and these risks must be reduced to the lowest
level possible without delay.”
Unite national officer for local government Jim
Kennedy said: “The government needs to take every
measure possible, such as mask wearing and proper ventilation in
schools, to prevent another wave of Covid-19 causing further
disruption this autumn to the education of this generation of
school students and pupils.
“Education secretary has been
caught napping on the job far too often in the last 18 months,
but he now needs to come forward with a comprehensive package of
measures to reassure students, parents, teachers and staff that
the government is doing everything it can to keep Covid cases in
schools and colleges to the absolute minimum.”
Notes to editors:
– *A document published by SAGE on Friday 27 August including
modelling data for Covid spread in schools can be found here.
