The leaders of the National Education Union and parent
organisation Parentkind have signed a joint letter to the
Education Secretary. It expresses a shared concern, on behalf of
parents, teachers, heads and school staff, that Government does
not rush into decisions about the re-opening of schools. In
signing the letter, Parentkind has also endorsed the 5 Tests for
Government launched by the NEU on 1 May.
Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the
National Education Union, said: “The NEU
agrees with parents that schools should not return until it is
safe to so. We all want some sort of normality, we all want
children and young people to be back in school. What we do not
want is a rushed return that ignores the potential risks to
students, their families, school staff and wider society. For the
Government to gain the trust of parents and school staff they
must meet the reasonable 5 tests that the NEU, supported by
Parentkind, have asked to be met. Failure to do so is risking the
prolonged threat of this pandemic for the whole of
society.”
John Jolly, Chief Executive of
Parentkind, said: “Overwhelmingly parents
tell us that they do not want their children to go back to school
until it is safe to do so, with most wanting clarity on when this
could be. It is vital that parents’ voices are heard and shape
government action."
The full text of the letter is as follows:
The Right Hon MP
Secretary of State for Education
Department for Education
Sanctuary Buildings
20 Great Smith Street
London SW1P 3BT
5 May 2020
Dear Gavin,
Teachers, parents and staff have responded with the utmost
seriousness and professionalism to the Covid-19 crisis. They need
to be confident that public health is the first priority in all
considerations concerning how we move forward and together combat
this terrible virus. If confidence and clarity are lacking, there
is a risk of chaos and a greater spread of the virus.
As you know, the National Education Union is very
clear that for schools to reopen we need to have sound scientific
evidence that it is safe to do so. The NEU's petition to
that effect has now reached over 250,000 signatures. This
strength of support is a clear indication that parents as well as
school staff do not want the Government to rush into decisions
that could cost lives.
The Government has its own 5 tests before relaxing the
lockdown.
Below we outline our own 5 tests we think the Government
must meet before moving to the further opening of schools.
We believe that these tests must be capable of being passed
in order to create the necessary confidence amongst parents and
staff.
We would be very pleased to discuss these tests in depth
with you and what evidence can be produced to show they can be
met.
5 Tests
We want to begin to re-open schools and colleges as soon as
we can. But this needs to be safe for society, for children and
their families and the staff who work in them.
We have these five tests which the Government should show
will be met by reliable evidence, peer-reviewed science and
transparent decision making.
Test 1: Much lower numbers of Covid-19
cases
The new case count must be much lower than it is now, with
a sustained downward trend, with confidence that new cases are
known and counted promptly. And the Government must have
extensive arrangements for testing and contact tracing to keep it
that way.
Test 2: A national plan for social
distancing
The Government must have a national plan including
parameters for both appropriate physical distancing and levels of
social mixing in schools, as well as for appropriate PPE, which
will be locally negotiated at school-by-school and local
authority level.
Test 3: Testing, testing, testing!
Comprehensive access to regular testing for children and
staff to ensure our schools and colleges don’t become hot spots
for Covid-19.
Test 4: Whole school strategy
Protocols to be put in place to test a whole school or
college when a case occurs and for isolation to be strictly
followed.
Test 5: Protection for the vulnerable
Vulnerable staff, and staff who live with vulnerable
people, must work from home, fulfilling their professional duties
to the extent that is possible. Plans must specifically address
the protection of vulnerable parents, grandparents and
carers.
Yours sincerely
Mary
Bousted Kevin
Courtney John
Jolly
Joint General
Secretary Joint General
Secretary Chief
Executive
NEU NEU Parentkind
ENDS
Editor’s Note
Our “Five Tests” were launched on 1 May. Read more
here: https://neu.org.uk/press-releases/5-tests-government-before-schools-can-re-open
Signatures continue to grow for the
petition Open schools when it is
safe: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/open-schools-when-it-is-safe
