It seems that Covid 19 is no way being curtailed as countries try to stop the spread simple things like opening up a school will make a new wave of the virus spread faster than a wild fire in a dry forest. This exactly how an education union in England felt as they have warned the start of the new academic year will “almost certainly” prompt a rise in Covid cases as tens of thousands of pupils are reported to be facing a delay in returning to class.
The reopening of secondary schools is reported to be delayed in parts of England as head teachers call for millions of teenagers to be tested for coronavirus on-site. The Department of Education confirmed that schools will be allowed to stagger their start dates so pupils can be tested twice.
It comes as the Government said carbon dioxide monitors are to be provided to state-funded schools in England to help staff tackle poor ventilation and reduce the spread of the virus.
Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said the monitors were a “welcome first step” in accepting that good ventilation is needed in schools. He said: “The new school year and college terms will almost certainly prompt an uptick in case counts nationally. Current levels already match where we were in December 2020. To counter a significant rise in the R-rate heading back over one, school and college leaders will be looking to see what they can do to ensure on-site learning is safe and sustainable throughout the autumn term.”
It was reported that parents have been told lessons in many secondary schools across the country are not expected to start until the second week of term.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the ASCL union, commented that “If you have nine million going back to school, having been mixing through the summer, you can see the need to test them on site.”
It was confirmed in July by the Education Secretary Gavin Williamson that schools could remove measures including bubbles and face masks when they return. But a survey of more than 1,200 senior teaching staff found that many schools are still planning preventative measures, with nearly one in five planning to stagger the start or end of the school year throughout the coming term.
Steve Chalke, chief executive of Oasis, said: “This is all last minute again. Head teachers have called for months for a way of opening schools and keeping them open to avoid a third year of academic disruption to children.”
