'SAFEST PLACE FOR THEM'
Gavin Williamson slaps down unions who don’t want schools to reopen warning there ‘will be consequences’
EDUCATION Secretary Gavin Williamson has slapped down teaching unions who are concerned about schools reopening on June 1 - warning "there is a consequence to this."
There are fears the Prime Minister, who wants primary schools to begin opening their gates in a fortnight, has moved too quickly with measures this week to ease the coronavirus lockdown in England.
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Speaking at this evening's Number 10 press conference, Mr Williamson sought to reassure parents worried about kids returning to school.
He said the government's decision-making is based on the "best scientific advice with children at the very heart of everything we do".
In a jab at teaching unions, Mr Williamson said: "There is a consequence to this, the longer that schools are closed the more that children miss out.
"Teachers know that there are children out there that have not spoken or played with another child their own age for the last two months.
"They know there are children from difficult or very unhappy homes for whom school is the happiest moment in their week, and it's also the safest place for them to be.
"The poorest children will be the ones who fall further behind if we keep school gates closed. This phased return is in line with what other European countries are doing."
It comes as he said children in reception, year 1 and 6 - as well as years 10 and 12 - can go back to school in smaller class sizes as part of a phased return.
'HOPE EVERYONE IS UNIFIED'
He added: "We are there to provide the very best for every single child. The best way of protecting children is actually to have them coming back into school, and this is a very small tentative step which I believe is in the right direction.
"I have been meeting representatives every single week, not just during school closures, I always want to talk, we want to find practical solutions so kids don't lose out as a result. I hope everyone is unified in the mission to deliver that."
Unions are opposed to the government plan, claiming teachers, pupils and their families will be at risk of catching the deadly virus.
They were backed yesterday by the doctors' union, the British Medical Association, who said unions were "absolutely right" to urge caution and prioritise testing before reopening schools on June 1.
BMA council's chair, Chaand Nagpaul, the BMA council's chair, said: "We cannot risk a second spike or take actions which would increase the spread of this virus, particularly as we see sustained rates of infection across the UK."
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Following a meeting with government scientific advisers yesterday, union representatives said they had been left with more questions than answers, with one union leader describing the scientific evidence as "flimsy at best".
Meanwhile Liverpool became the first local authority to rule out reopening its school until at least June 15, in a major blow to the government.
Hartlepool in County Durham, later joined Liverpool in saying it would ignore the plan.
However the heads of four school chains - Reach 2, Harris, Oasis and GEP - announced yesterday they were backing the government plan.
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As the row between ministers and teaching unions intensified, Anne Longfield, the Children's Commissioner for England, told them to "stop squabbling and agree a plan" to reopen schools safely.
She said many children were struggling away from the classroom and the lack of education would impact on future life chances.
She said: "All sides need to show a greater will to work together in the interests of children.
"We cannot afford to wait for a vaccine, which may never arrive, before children are back in school.
"It's time to stop squabbling and agree a staggered, safe return that is accompanied by rigorous testing of teachers, children and families."
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She told the Today programme: "There are really strong reasons why children need to get back into school. It is really imperative to see the can-do willingness to work together that we have seen in other parts of society.
"None of us want to put children, or indeed staff or parents, into any kind of situation that is unsafe. But until we get a vaccine we are going to have to be managing risk."
Patrick Roach, general secretary of the teaching union NASUWT, said: "There has been no squabbling on behalf of the NASUWT.
"The issue is very clear. We want to see schools reopening as soon as practicable.
"And that's what our members want, and what our members are saying, very clearly, is that schools need to reopen in a manner which is safe to do."
Mr Roach said teachers needed "unequivocal guidance" from the government that there would be "strong controls" in place which would satisfy both teachers and parents that it was safe to return.
He said: "We are continuing to say to Government, but also to schools and employers, that we are here, we want to work with those employers to put plans in place to see whether schools can be ready for re-opening from June 1.
"We want schools to be re-opened, we want children to be safe and we want staff to be safe. It is not a zero sum game here.
"It is about ensuring that we get back to a place where we can return to some form of normality."
Christopher King, head of the Independent Association of Prep Schools said he expected all 670 schools to reopen to the priority year groups on June 1.
Responding to Mr Williamson's comment at the briefing Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT teachers' union, said in a statement: "The NASUWT welcomes the Secretary of State's commitment to discuss a way forward which will help to ensure that schools can reopen safely to more children.
"It is urgently important that the Government takes every available opportunity to provide the necessary assurances that teachers are seeking.
"It should not be forgotten that teachers have continued to look after vulnerable children and children of critical workers whilst also providing high quality support for remote learning for those children who are at home.
"Schools are looking to the Government for clear and unequivocal guidance on the health and safety measures they will need to have in place prior to reopening.
"The bottom line is that no teacher or child should be expected to go into schools until it can be demonstrated that it is safe for them to do so."
Responding to Mr Williamson's comments at the briefing, Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said in a statement: "The National Education Union was pleased to hear the Secretary of State restate that a wider opening of schools on June 1 is conditional on the Government passing certain tests, and pleased to hear Mr Williamson say that the Government will be closely monitoring the impact of this weeks loosening on the R rate and the overall case count, before deciding to take further measures.
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"This is sensible. We will take up Mr Williamson's statement that his door is open in order to seek to engage in discussions about a safe way forward and to better understand the tests the Government believes it must pass.
"In that context we would particularly like to discuss our own five tests which have been endorsed by the British Medical Association and also to examine the arrangements made in schools in Denmark.
"We are pleased to hear the concern that so many politicians are expressing for disadvantaged children. These concerns are vital to our members and our union. Given that it seems likely that many children may not be able to return to school for sometime we are also keen to discuss with the DfE ways that we can support those children now and build back better as schooling eventually resumes."
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