The government has been urged to step back from its plan to reopen schools from 1 June.
In a joint statement released today, education unions accused the government of “showing a lack of understanding about the dangers of the spread of coronavirus within schools”.
The unions said the Department for Education (DfE) should ditch its school return date of 1 June because they “do not think that the government should be posing this level of risk to our society.”
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They also warned that school staff “will not be protected by social distancing rules”, and classrooms “could become sources of Covid-19 transmission and spread”.
Today’s message follows a longer statement to the education secretary on Friday, which set out in full detail the principles and tests necessary for the safe reopening of schools.
It is signed by the NEU and NASUWT teaching unions; school leaders’ union the NAHT; the GMB union; the Association of Educational Psychologists (AEP); the National Society for Education in Art and Design (NSEAD); Unison; Prospect; and Unite.
The full statement is as follows:
“We all want schools to reopen, but that should only happen when it is safe to do so. The government is showing a lack of understanding about the dangers of the spread of coronavirus within schools, and outwards from schools to parents, sibling and relatives, and to the wider community.
“Uniquely, it appears, school staff will not be protected by social distancing rules. 15 children in a class, combined with their very young age, means that classrooms of 4- and 5-year-olds could become sources of Covid-19 transmission and spread.
“While we know that children generally have mild symptoms, we do not know enough about whether they can transmit the disease to adults. We do not think that the government should be posing this level of risk to our society.
“We call on the government to step back from the 1 June and work with us to create the conditions for a safe return to schools based on the principles and tests we have set out.”
