Labour condemns Williamson’s staggering disregard for families as government creates renewed confusion around school return
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Labour has condemned Education Secretary Gavin Williamson’s
staggering disregard for families as media reports suggest the
return to school could be delayed for millions of young people.
With less than 10 days to go until the first pupils will return to
classrooms for the new school year, parents have been told the
return to school could be delayed for secondary pupils, creating
renewed uncertainty and confusion for families. This is a repeat of
the chaos around the return...Request free trial
Labour has condemned Education Secretary Gavin Williamson’s staggering disregard for families as media reports suggest the return to school could be delayed for millions of young people. With less than 10 days to go until the first pupils will return to classrooms for the new school year, parents have been told the return to school could be delayed for secondary pupils, creating renewed uncertainty and confusion for families. This is a repeat of the chaos around the return of schools seen in January 2021, when parents were told just days before the start of term pupils return to classrooms would be delayed. This last minute decision making throughout the pandemic has also put additional pressure on school staff who have had to react to chaotic government announcements. Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary Kate Green MP has written to Williamson urging him to immediately clarify the announcement and implications for learning, with children already having missed an average of 115 days of school during the pandemic. Green has also urged the Education Secretary to provide certainty around ventilation in schools and explain why the Government has only just announced provision of Co2 monitors for classrooms, 457 days after SAGE first highlighted the importance of adequate ventilation for preventing the spread of Covid. Kate Green MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, said: “The Conservatives chaotic, last-minute approach is damaging children’s education. Parents would rightly expect Ministers to have learnt from their mistakes over the last year, but once again families are being treated as an afterthought. “After two years of disrupted education each day in school matters. The Conservatives’ systematic refusal to plan ahead is just not good enough. Labour is demanding better for our children’s futures.” Ends Notes to editors
Dear Gavin I am deeply concerned that with less than two weeks to go until pupils are due to return to school for the new year, you have briefed the media that the start of term could be delayed. Your constant disregard for parents’ need to plan ahead, manage childcare and prepare their children for the return to classrooms has been staggering. I am writing to ask you provide clarity for families and school staff as a matter of urgency. September return Yesterday the Sunday Times reported that schools will be permitted to stagger the return to classrooms to help manage on-site testing of secondary age pupils. Is this correct? If so, can you confirm over what period schools will be permitted to stagger pupils’ return? Pupils have already missed an average of 115 days of school during the pandemic. Are schools expected to provide remote teaching or learning materials during the period when testing is being carried out for pupils not in school? Why are these plans only being discussed now, with less than 10 days until the first schools are due to return for the beginning of the new school year? Once again, your delayed planning and chaotic decision-making risks creating havoc for families and will put additional pressure on school staff planning for the start of the new year. Covid secure schools Ensuring that pupils can remain in school learning with their friends has been Labour’s top priority throughout the pandemic. However, you have failed to plan ahead and take the necessary steps to ensure children could remain in class. Once pupils have had two on-site tests, home testing will resume. Last year we saw a dramatic decline in reporting of home testing among school pupils. What steps will your department be taking to prevent a similar drop-off in testing this term? When will the promised CO2 monitors be installed in every school, and if poor air quality is identified, what support will schools receive to improve ventilation? The importance of ventilation in schools was first raised in SAGE minutes on 21 May 2020, why have you taken no previous action on improving ventilation in classrooms? Once again, why was this announced with less than two weeks to go until pupil return to classrooms? Your Department’s guidance recommends that once certain thresholds, in relation to positive cases, are met steps to improve ventilation should be taken. Why are you not pursuing a preventative approach, aiming to stop transmission among children and staff? Additionally, your guidance recommends opening windows or taking classes outside, this is utterly impractical as we head towards winter, so will you set out what other actions schools can take throughout the winter to improve air quality? Last September, your Department cut funding available to schools to make premises Covid secure. How are schools expected to fund additional measures such as cleaning recommended in your guidance and can you provide guarantees that resources for teaching and recovery are not diverted to making premises Covid secure? We have now had months of chaos and uncertainty for pupils, parents, and schools which has been a direct result of this government’s mishandling of the pandemic. You have once again waited until the last possible moment to act causing wholly unnecessary confusion and uncertainty for hundreds of thousands of families who would have hoped you had learnt from last year and set out plans for the return of schools well in advance. Parents and pupils deserve better. I hope that you will provide them with immediate clarification. I look forward to your swift response. Yours sincerely Kate Green |