Boarding schools have written to the government calling for international pupils to be able to quarantine in their school accommodation, raising concerns about safeguarding if they are forced into quarantine hotels.
In an open letter to the prime minister, the first ministers of Scotland and Wales and Professor Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, leading associations in the boarding sector have said that the “current ‘red list’ hotel quarantine arrangements in the UK pose a significant safeguarding risk to the children in our care”.
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“We may well end up in a situation where minors travel alone and quarantine in hotel rooms alone, or with adults they do not know well,” the letter adds.
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“It would never be acceptable in a school, guardian or homestay setting for children to share a room with such adults and we believe this is not in keeping with KCSIE [Keeping Children Safe in Education], GIRFEC [Getting it Right For Every Child], Keeping Learners Safe and visa sponsor duties.
“To prevent this, we would urge you to allow minors to quarantine in their boarding accommodation, fully and safely operated by their schools, without the risk of abuse.”
The letter is signed by the Boarding Schools’ Association, the Independent Association of Prep Schools, the Independent School Bursars’ Association, the Girls’ Schools Association and the Independent Schools Association, as well as independent schools’ associations in Scotland and Wales.
It adds that in Scotland, preventing international pupils from entering the country when schools reopen could lead to employment issues as schools experience a loss of income.
“Throughout the UK, we would urge you to allow minors to quarantine in their boarding accommodation safely,” the letter says.
“Our schools commit to removing risks to the wider population by facilitating Covid-secure transport and following isolation guidance upon arrival at school.
“This would be in keeping with the highly risk-assessed, tested and safeguarded procedures schools have developed during the last year, to allow for the return, appropriate quarantine and isolation of residential pupils.”
