Speaking ahead of a statement to Parliament by Education
Secretary , NASUWT General Secretary Dr Patrick Roach
said:
"It has been abundantly clear for some time that the announcement
by the Government of arbitrary dates for the wider reopening of
schools was ill-considered, premature and unworkable.
“The Government’s rush to seek to reopen schools as part of wider
efforts to restart the economy has been in the face of deep
concerns and mounting evidence that this would contribute to a
second wave of infections and deaths from the Coronavirus.
“With the “R” Rate close to or above 1 in a number of areas of
the country, decisions to reopen schools more widely could be
extremely damaging to public health as well as to the health and
safety of children and adults in schools.
“The overwhelming majority of teachers remain extremely worried
that with schools opening to more children whilst safe social
distancing and PPE continue to be major concerns, wider school
reopening is simply not safe.
“In the absence of definitive guidance from the Government, many
schools have struggled to understand what they need to do in
order to meet appropriate health and safety standards when they
do reopen.
“Whilst the NASUWT welcomes the Government’s belated decision to
step back from its plans to open schools to even more pupils
before the end of this academic year, we are also urging the
Government to act swiftly to address the concerns of teachers and
headteachers struggling to maintain safe working practices in
schools where provision for children has already been
extended.
“The Government must now accept that its plans for wider
reopening of schools are no longer credible.
“The Government must also make clear to schools that they should
revisit their plans and take all appropriate steps to protect the
welfare of staff and pupils even if that means pausing planned
reopening or closing wider provision in the interests of safety
and public health.”