Government drops plan for all primary school children to return to school this term

Giving a statement in the House of Commons on Tuesday (9 June), education secretary Gavin Williamson said that the Government continued to follow scientific advice and that a ‘cautious, phased return’ was the most sensible course to take.

‘While we are not able to welcome all primary children back for a full month before the summer we continue to work with the sector on the next steps, where we’d like to see schools that have the capacity to bring back more children in these smaller class sizes, to see if they are able to do so before the summer holidays,' he told MPs. 'We will be working to bring all children back in September.’

Primary pupils in England in Reception, Year 1 and 6 began to return to school last week, and the Department for Education has published the first official figures showing how many attended, based on 4 June.

These show that while around half of primary schools (52 per cent) were open to more children, only around a quarter of children from the above year groups had returned.

The figures also show that 48 per cent of early years settings were open but only 10 per cent of children were taking up places.

Teaching unions had warned that bringing all children back would not be practical given the social distancing rules.

The National Education Union said that ‘the scale of the challenge was immense’ and called for the Government to bring in a national education recovery plan, similar to the job recovery plan.

Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said, ‘It has taken the Government some time to recognise what was obvious to most. The Government’s social distancing rules made it impossible for primary schools to admit all pupils before the summer holidays. Primary schools and secondary schools will not re-open to all pupils until September at the earliest. But even that date cannot, as Matt Hancock has recognised, be taken for granted.

‘The consequences of Covid-19 are going to be felt in our education system for months to come. What is needed, now, is a national plan for education, along the lines being developed by the Scottish government. This should cover all possible scenarios and focus on blended learning, at home and at school; greatly increased support for disadvantaged children, including free internet access so that they can access online teaching and learning, and the requisitioning of local public spaces, such as community centres and libraries, so that pressure on school space is lessened and more children are able to return to school in safe environments.’

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of NAHT, the union which represents leaders in the majority of schools in England, said, ‘We said to government that until their guidance on safety in schools changes that there would be significant practical barriers to bringing all primary pupils back in the summer term. We are therefore pleased that the Government have clarified that this is no-longer their ambition.

‘No-one is more committed to achieving a full return to education for all pupils than school leaders. Surveys show the extraordinary lengths schools have gone to support pupils with home learning during lockdown. School leaders are already working through the practical considerations of engaging all pupils and families as best they can, as the academic year draws to a close. This will require flexibility in order to balance the needs of all pupils with the continued constraints placed upon schools.

‘With the end of term just six weeks away, Government now needs to provide urgent clarity on the anticipated constraints that schools may face in September, so that schools and parents can start to look ahead and plan with greater understanding of the possible disruption that may yet still follow.’

Unison head of education Jon Richards said, ‘This was the right thing to do. As important as it is to open up schools, the challenges of bringing back all children in the next few weeks would simply have been too great.
 
‘There have already been Covid cases in schools and many support staff and parents remain understandably anxious.

‘Many schools simply don’t have the space to put in place the new rules, nor enough masks and preventative kit to fill staff with confidence. This delay will allow time to ensure the essential test, trace and isolate system is fully working.

‘Confidence needs to be rebuilt amongst parents and staff to ensure a safe return so young people don’t miss out on any more of their education and parents can get back to work. ‘

Councillor Judith Blake, chair of the Local Government Association’s children and young people board, said, ‘We are pleased that the Government has acted on our calls and will give councils and local schools flexibility over the decision to expand the number of pupils before the summer holidays.

‘Councils want all children to return to school but it is imperative that pupils return to school only when it is safe for them to do so and schools are best placed to make those decisions based on their own individual circumstances.

‘Where it has been safe to do so, councils have already been working closely with local partners to increase attendance in schools. However, many schools are already at full capacity despite the low numbers of pupils returning due to the necessary social distancing measures that are in place.

‘As councils will continue to play a key role in moving the country forward, it is important that they have the capacity and necessary data to improve the Test and Trace programme. It is also vital that the Government works closely with councils to ensure the powers can be brought in to manage outbreaks in places like schools, care homes, businesses and communities if new Covid-19 clusters emerge.’