The Secretary of State for Education ():...I would hope that the hon. Lady and I are
completely united in our concern to make sure that a generation
of children do not miss out. We recognise and understand the
truly extraordinary times in which we are living, and in which we
are asking children to learn, teachers to teach and all those who
support them to work. We also recognise that we need to be
bringing schools back and pupils back into the classroom. Had it
been left to the hon. Lady, she would not have been bringing
children back into the classroom until the National Education Union said
that she was allowed to do so. We will continue to work with all.
We recognise how incredibly important it is to do the best for
every single child. That is why it is so welcome to see so many
schools opening their doors, welcoming children in and giving
them the very best of what they can offer...
(Gateshead) (Lab): I noted the
Secretary of State’s throw-away criticism of my hon. Friend the
shadow Education Secretary about the National Education
Union. I found it a tad ironic when he did not even
consult the National Association of Head Teachers, the
headteachers professional association, regarding the original 1
June restart date. We all want to get our children back into
school, but far too many parents currently still do not regard it
as safe, and that is understandable and hardly surprising when,
in parts of my region, the north-east, the incidence of covid-19
is five times greater than in parts of the south-west. A
one-size-fits-all policy should never have been considered. Will
the Secretary of State properly consider that when moving
forward?
: That is why, as I stated earlier, we want to work
with local authorities that have concerns to make sure they are
in a position to open all their schools and, where they face
practical problems or issues, to discuss that with them to ensure
that all their schools are open. If we have to close schools, we
will do that in conjunction with Public Health England, but it is
vital that we get all schools open for these year groups, while
always recognising that there might be clusters of schools that
have to close for short periods.
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