Chaos for parents as London boroughs reopen schools just two days before Xmas break after Gov threatened legal action

PARENTS face chaos as all schools in two London boroughs were forced to U-turn and reopen days before the Christmas break.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson warned the government would take legal action if councils in Greenwich and Islington didn't reopen their schools to kids for the rest of the week.

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Greenwich council had previously written to school heads to dismiss classes at 133 schools a week early due to the rising number of Covid cases.

Islington then followed suit, warning of surging cases.

But Mr Williamson threatened to get a High Court injunction to force them to U-turn if they refused to comply.

Now Redbridge - where 7,000 pupils are isolating - has suggested schools shut early, with council leaders saying they'll back headteachers who decide to shut doors.

And in Basildon - Essex's Covid hotspot - secondary school heads were told they can send pupils home early.

Greenwich is currently experiencing its highest virus infection rate since March with numbers doubling every four days, according to the council.

Its seven day infection rate is 59 per cent higher than at the same point last week and is particularly high among young people.

Currently 4,262 children and 362 school staff are self-isolating – an increase of 640 people since Friday - with 817 children testing positive for Covid-19.

Most schools in the borough closed to all kids except key workers' children yesterday and lessons were moved online.

But they will now have to reopen fully for the rest of the week.

Parents had faced the prospect of having to frantically make last-minute childcare arrangements if the schools had remained closed.

This evening, Islington council also announced it will open schools for one more day.

In a statement today, Greenwich council leader, Labour councillor Danny Thorpe, said: "Yesterday the council received a directive from the Government that schools in the borough must remain fully open until the end of term.

"With Covid-19 cases rising rapidly in the borough, I cannot agree that this is the correct choice for our schools. However, I also cannot justify the use of public funds to fight the decision in the courts.

"Consequently, I have no choice but to ask our schools to keep their doors open to all students rather than just continuing with online learning.

"From the start of this pandemic, both myself and the whole council have worked tirelessly to support our whole school community.

"The action we took on Sunday was based solely on doing the right thing for our borough, not a protracted legal argument with the Government, which absolutely nobody needs at the end of an extremely difficult term.

"The council has issued the following response to the Government, which outlines our serious concerns about forcing our students to attend school in person and our intention to reluctantly comply with the Secretary of State's directive."

And Islington council leader Richard Watts said: “Coronavirus cases are rising fast in Islington and London, and following public health advice about this very serious situation, we originally advised schools in Islington to move to online learning.

“After discussion today with the Department for Education, we have now advised our schools to open as usual to pupils on Wednesday, and advised our schools that they are able to arrange an inset day on Thursday.

"Friday was to be an inset day already.

“We issued this advice to schools because the situation in Islington is so serious.

";As Islington and London continue to face surging rates of coronavirus it’s absolutely vital we all work together and do everything we can to keep our families and loved ones safe."

Boris Johnson’s government has been determined to keep schools open despite the rise in coronavirus cases and London being plunged into tier 3 restrictions from today.

Early in November the Prime Minister told MPs he would do everything to keep schools open and would only close them as a last resort.

He said: “We will also ensure that throughout this period our schools stay open.

"We will not allow this virus to do any further damage to the future of our children.

"I said in the summer we had a moral duty to reopen our schools as soon as it was safe to do so and that they will be the last element, the schools would be the last element, of our society to close down again.”

Downing Street defended the Government's determination to keep state schools open despite rising coronavirus cases.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "We have been clear throughout on the importance of schools, both in terms of the learning that children require but also the development and mental health gains it brings by being able to attend school.

"We have been clear that it's in the best interest for all children to attend."

Asked whether that message applied to private schools which decided to close early, the spokesman said: "The Government thinks that all schools should remain open for children and that's the best place for them to be."

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jenny Harries said shutting schools early “would do more harm than good”. She told MPs in a Zoom briefing that the behaviour of teenagers “can be somewhat controlled” in schools that are Covid secure.

She said: “If they’re not in school, they are likely to mix anyway without a responsible adult to intervene”. 

Labour leader Kier Starmer has backed the government’s aim to keep schools open during the pandemic.

Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show at the beginning of last month he said: “I want schools open, I think the harm to children from being out of school is too high - we have to manage the risk but it is a priority to keep schools open.”

Left-wing London mayor Sadiq Khan though called for all schools to close in the capital amid a surge of cases in the city.

In a letter to Boris Johnson, 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".

A Department for Education spokesperson said on Monday: “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 and our regional school commissioner teams continue to support local authorities and school trusts to remain open and help resolve any operational issues.”

The news comes after it was revealed ministers are drawing up plans for a New Year testing blitz in schools in a campaign to prevent a third wave of killer Covid.

Hundreds of thousands of swabs are expected to be sent around the country for use in a campaign to pinpoint teenagers unknowingly carrying coronavirus.

Health chiefs are understood to be ramping up testing plans amid growing fears that older children are fuelling the rocketing infection rates across the South East.

London’s coronavirus hot spots have been flooded with extra mobile testing to screen secondary school kids and their families.