Commenting on the report in the Daily Telegraph, ‘Schools to
scrap social distancing’, Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the
Association of School and College Leaders, said:
“This plan appears to us to be the beginning of a realistic and
workable way forward to bringing all children back into school in
September.
“Social distancing at either 2m or 1m was never going to be
possible with a full return to school, and it recognises that
safety will have to be managed in other ways. It also recognises
that ‘bubbles’ in primaries and secondaries would need to look
different. In secondaries, children have to regularly move
between different subject options, so the idea of ‘bubbles’ being
based on whole year groups is a more workable way forward.
“All of this is an evolving discussion, and we will be seeking
and feeding back the views of our members to the government. We
will need also to see how the concept of ‘bubbles’ would apply to
further education and sixth form colleges.
“We will want to understand the public health guidance which
underpins the approach to full reopening. This is important for
the confidence of parents, pupils, and staff. And, as none of us
know what the coronavirus situation will look like in September,
we think it would be sensible to have a plan B if the conditions
do not allow for a full reopening. This is not a case of us being
negative, but merely a pragmatic suggestion given the uncertainty
that lies ahead. Our members will also need a clear and precise
set of detailed guidance which they can implement.
“We would also caution that a full return in September will not
be school or college as normal. There will be a raft of safety
measures in place, and we all need to prepare ourselves for the
likelihood that there may be localised full or partial closures
if there are outbreaks of the coronavirus, and this may be the
reality for some time to come.”
