Schools won't open in September unless government drops social distancing rules, union leaders warn
Schools won’t reopen in September if the government’s social distancing measures remain in place, union leaders have warned.
MPs were told on Wednesday that maintaining two-metre social distancing and limits on class sizes would require double the amount of classrooms and teachers.
The union bosses called for Downing Street to publish a recovery plan in the event of schools not reopening.
Last week the government ditched plans for all primary school pupils to return before the summer holidays, with education secretary Gavin Williamson refusing to promise all primary and secondary pupils would return for the new academic year in September.
It followed weeks of tension between the government and unions over reopening plans.
Speaking about the two-metre rule on Tuesday, Boris Johnson said we must “proceed carefully” but hinted it may be relaxed – saying “watch this space”.
A number of education union and association bosses were quizzed on the matter at the House of Commons education committee on Wednesday.
Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, told MPs: “If the government retains its social distancing rules, they can’t [reopen].
“That’s why we then need to look at education and an education recovery plan which is focused on more than school buildings.”
Julie McCulloch, director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, also warned “the maths just doesn’t work”.
She said: “If it’s at all possible and considered safe then absolutely, we want all children to be back in school from September.
“But we’re not able to do that at the moment within the government’s protective measures guidance. The maths just doesn’t work.
“If you can only have up to 15 children in a class and you’re bringing back all children, you need twice as many classrooms and twice as many teachers.”
The potential relaxing of the two-metre rule is fraught with political difficulties for Johnson.
The prime minister is under huge pressure from a number of Conservative backbenchers to relax the rule in order to kickstart the economy and allow schools to fully reopen.
However, the PM’s top scientific advisers – Sir Patrick Vallance and Prof Chris Whitty – were reported by The Sunday Times to be on “resignation watch” regarding the potential relaxation of the rules.
Sir Patrick said of the two-metre distancing on Tuesday: “Two metres is safer than one metre, but it’s not an absolute, it’s a relative and obviously the closer you get the riskier it is, so it’s a risk assessment.”
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