Ministers ‘asleep at the wheel’ on school openings

If Nightingale hospitals were possible then why wasn’t temporary extra space for schools also created? asks Labour’s Keir Starmer
29th June 2020, 1:47pm

Share

Ministers ‘asleep at the wheel’ on school openings

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/ministers-asleep-wheel-school-openings
Kier Starmer

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has criticised the government for being “asleep at the wheel” on the issue of reopening schools.

Speaking on Sky News, he argued that children could have been back in school by now if not for a “total lack of planning” by ministers.

Sir Keir added that, if it is possible to put up Nightingale hospitals, it is certainly feasible that the government can construct temporary classrooms.


Watch: School reopenings ‘needed leadership’, PM told

Coronavirus: Prioritise reopening schools, says Starmer

Starmer: Teachers are being badly let down


“There has been a total lack of planning,” he said. 

“From the day the schools were shut down, it was obvious what needed to happen to get them back open again.

“You needed a risk assessment, and you needed to look at the space. I’ve talked to loads of headteachers, and the points they have made to me were obvious and practical and could have been overcome.”

He added: “If you could put up Nightingale hospitals - a good thing to do - you can certainly put up temporary classrooms, you can certainly take over libraries, community centres.

“Had there been work on this from the day the schools closed down, I genuinely think we could have had all our children back in school by now, but the government was asleep at the wheel, didn’t get to this until too late in the day, and now we’re in the situation where children will be able to do other things this weekend, but not be in school on Monday.”

Want to keep reading for free?

Register with Tes and you can read two free articles every month plus you'll have access to our range of award-winning newsletters.

Keep reading for just £1 per month

You've reached your limit of free articles this month. Subscribe for £1 per month for three months and get:

  • Unlimited access to all Tes magazine content
  • Exclusive subscriber-only stories
  • Award-winning email newsletters
Recent
Most read
Most shared