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NIGHTMARE BEFORE XMAS
Second London borough to shut schools tomorrow amid parents’ fury as Sadiq Khan calls for shutdown and Tier 3 looms
A SECOND London borough will shut its classrooms tomorrow with parents in the capital left furious at the last minute decisions.
Greenwich council leader Danny Thorpe said yesterday Public Health England had advised the authority to shut all 133 schools as Covid cases were "escalating extremely quickly".
Now Islington Council has advised schools to move to online learning from Wednesday morning because of a serious rise in coronavirus cases across London.
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Greenwich will shut their doors today at just one day's notice after Sadiq Khan called for all schools to close in the capital amid a surge of cases in the city.
The eleventh-hour decision left parents scrambling to find childcare with pupils to be kept at home until January 11.
'ABSOLUTE NONSENSE'
One school worker from the borough wrote on Twitter: “This has created a huge amount of confusion for parents.
“Schools will have hundreds of emails and calls to deal with tomorrow morning, adding to their already high workload and pressure.”
Another wrote: “What absolute nonsense. Why announce such a thing on a Sunday night?
"What a way of causing panic and anxiety for parents who have no means of contacting the school for clarification. What is the benefit of closing schools two days early?"
And another local fumed: "Ridiculous decision, parents cannot just decide they are not going to work with that notice!"
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It comes as the Mayor of London has called for all schools across 32 boroughs to shut as the city teeters on the brink of moving into Tier 3 this week.
The move would force hundreds of thousands of pupils to study online and comes after Education Secretary Gavin Williamson's vowed to keep kids in school.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, he said "urgent consideration must...be given to closing secondary schools, sixth form and FE colleges a few days early and keeping them closed for longer after Christmas".
He wrote: "I am calling on the government to urgently provide additional support to get the spread under control, save lives and livelihoods and ensure our NHS is not overwhelmed this winter."
"Increased testing is key to this, which is why I want to see regular asymptomatic testing extended to all those unable to work from home and to students and staff at London's secondary schools, sixth-form college and FE (further education) colleges.
"With significant outbreaks among 10 to 19-year-olds, the Government must consider asking schools and colleges to close early and re-open later in January, with extra resource provided to support online learning."
Mr Khan will today brief London MPs on the latest figures, which show that the infection is now doubling every four days in the city.
The Mayor's spokesman said: “The mayor is backing the early closure of schools and would like the Government to consider shutting schools from Tuesday.
";He wants tomorrow (Monday) to be the last day at school.”
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It comes just days after the Government revealed it could force schools to remain open by applying for a High Court injunction.
Meanwhile, the capital looks set to go from Tier 2 to Tier 3 when measures are reviewed on Wednesday.
It's claimed the city could be split into different tiers to keep central areas booming - while shutting down Covid hotspots on the outskirts.
'UNTOLD DAMAGE'
Tory MPs have urged Boris Johnson not to inflict "untold damage" on the capital by shifting it into the highest tier.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock is now thought to be considering shifting the hardest hit parts of London into Tier 3 - while leaving the centre in Tier 2.
That would allow pubs and restaurants in the West End to keep their doors open during one of their busiest times of the year.
Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove is reportedly one of the MPs who have suggested that only the London boroughs that have the highest infection rates - on the outskirts of the city - should be placed in Tier 3.
They say putting all of London in Tier 3 will cause a £3billion catastrophic hit to the economy.
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Meanwhile, Cllr Thorpe defended the move to shut schools in an open letter by insisting that the risk posed by coronavirus was "extreme" and "immediate action" was needed.
"The situation in Greenwich in relation to Covid-19 is now escalating extremely quickly," he said.
He confirmed that breakfast boxes and free school meals would still be available to those who were eligible.
And in a separate message to headteachers, the official said: "I’m sorry to disturb a weekend, but frankly I know they almost seem a thing of the past given how hard you are working.
"I’ve had a number of conversations with heads over the last week and I
know how difficult things have been, especially the last week.
"It has become clear in the last few days that rates of Covid-19 are rising extremely rapidly, both within Greenwich and across London.
"The latest data seems to suggest the rate of infection is doubling in the city every four days."
New powers introduced through the Coronavirus Act allow the Government to issue 'directions' to headteachers around education provision during the pandemic.
Should schools fail to comply after being directed to remain open, Gavin Williamson can apply for a High Court injunction forcing them to do so.
It is understood that directions under the act would only be used as a last resort, while a court order would be sought if they were not followed.
A spokesperson for the Department for Education said tonight: “It is a national priority to keep education settings open full time and it is vital that children remain in school until the end of the term.
“Schools, colleges and early years settings across the country have worked tremendously hard to put protective measures in place that are helping reduce the risk of the virus being transmitted.
It is vital that children remain in school until the end of the term.
Department for Education
"Our regional school commissioner teams continue to support local authorities and school trusts to remain open and help resolve any operational issues.”
The Government will work with Greenwich council in a bid to keep schools open - and officials say that it's their "strong expectation" that all schools enable full-time attendance.
But there are concerns Greenwich councillor's decision could pave the way for other areas to shut schools.
Covid-19 case rates are rising in two-thirds of all local areas in England, the latest data shows - with soaring rates in every borough of the capital.
The London borough of Havering now has the fifth highest rate of new cases in the country.
Add the other worst affected areas of the capital are in the east, including Walthamstow, Redbridge, Newham and Barking.
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Nationally, Swale in Kent continues to have the highest rate in England, with 630.3 cases per 100,000 people.
Medway, also in Kent, has the second highest rate, while Basildon in Essex is in third place.
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It was announced earlier this week that thousands of schoolkids across London, Essex and Kent will get tested during a rapid drive to force down another wave of the virus.
Pupils in secondary schools in a string of boroughs are being urged to come forward to get tested to stop the spread - with one in three people with the virus still showing no symptoms at all.
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Matt Hancock announces immediate plan to test to all secondary school children for Covid-19 in worst areas of London, Kent and Essex
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