The National Education Union has told its members that they must not
return to work on Monday, referencing the strains on the NHS and the
lack of effective steps by the government to make schools safe against
COVID transmission.
Calling on the government to delay the opening of schools until at
least 18 January and to move schools to online learning, NEU Vice
President Daniel Kebede told teachers:
Our Heads and School Leaders have been amazing. However the Government have failed to deliver the resource we need.
As
a result transmission of Covid in schools has been driving transmission
in communities. This has pushed our NHS to breaking point.
The
Government must do the correct thing and delay the opening of schools
until the 18th January. Schools must move online and be open to
Vulnerable and Key Worker children only.
If the government don’t
do what is right, and delay the opening of schools, we will action our
legal rights under Section 44 of the Employment Rights Act.
Schools are not safe for our young people, our educators or our communities.
Education will continue remotely. Do not go into work for Monday’s INSET, work from home.
In Solidarity.
Their union leader claimed what was
right for London was right for the rest of the country and called on
ministers to "do their duty" and close all primary and secondary schools
to contain the coronavirus.The
demand, from the joint general secretary of the National Education
Union, Mary Bousted, came after Education Secretary Gavin Williamson in an embarrassing U-turn bowed to pressure to close all primary schools in the capital.
Also in an abrupt policy reversal following protests and threats of legal
action by local authorities, Mr Williamson also signalled more schools
outside London could close by warning that the list of closures is being
kept under review.
On Wednesday, in a hastily arranged statement to MPs on bringing
children back to school this term, Mr Williamson said that the majority
of primary schools in England would open as planned on Monday 4 January.
Announcing his climbdown, Mr Williamson said: "Children's education
and wellbeing remains a national priority. Moving further parts of
London to remote education really is a last resort and a temporary
solution.
"As infection rates rise across the country, and
particularly in London, we must make this move to protect our country
and the NHS. We will continue to keep the list of local authorities
under review, and reopen classrooms as soon as we possibly can."
Another teachers' union leader, NASUWT general secretary Dr
Patrick Roach, said: "Yet again, parents, pupils and staff are having to
deal with the consequences of yet more last-minute chaotic
announcements from the government.
"In just a matter of days, the government's plans for the safe reopening of schools are unravelling.
"Primary
schools and parents in Tier 4 areas across the country will no doubt
wonder why the government regards the risks to their health and safety
as less significant than in other Tier 4 areas in London and the
southeast of England."
Once again, and in spite of the lack of support from Keir Starmer's Labour party, unions are leading the way to protect their members and the children they teach, while the government recklessly refuses to act for most of the country , despite now acknowledging that schools are the engine of the pandemic.
Remember: education is a devolved responsibility so the governments of
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland choose whether their schools will
open or not.
According to the BBC,
In Wales, there will be “flexibility” at the beginning of term,
with teaching due to start in most places from 4 January. Schools are
expected to offer face-to-face learning for most pupils by 11 January,
with a full return by 18 January.
In Northern Ireland, primary school pupils will be taught online until 11 January.
In secondary schools, years 8 to 11 will be taught online throughout
January. Years 12 to 14 will return to school after the first week of
January.
In Scotland, the Christmas holidays have been extended to 11 January, and the following week will be online learning only. A full return to face-to-face learning is planned for 18 January.
Dr Bousted also pointed out that it is impossible to stop children from
mixing with each other in large numbers and if just one has the virus,
then they all may catch it and transmit it to their families – and out
into the community.Which would condemn thousands to catch the virus when the NHS cannot take the strain and fatalities are rising.
Our schools and colleges are simply not safe. Full classrooms provide an
environment where the new variant will quickly spread. No member of
staff and no pupil should have to work in such dangerous conditions.
For months, the government has been ignoring growing evidence that
school aged children have high levels of infection and that poorly
ventilated, closely-packed schools have been an important factor in the
spread of Covid-19.
Keeping schools fully open has nothing to do with keeping children
safe. Instead it has put more lives in danger, more pressure on an
overwhelmed NHS, more chaotic disruption in schools.
Before Christmas, even their own scientific advisers warned ministers
that "accumulating evidence is consistent with increased transmission
occurring amongst school children when schools are open".
With Covid infections r record levels, hundreds of deaths each day and many hospitals at breaking point, it is inevitable that once again mixing in schools could have a devastating impact on the spread of the virus, particularly amid the emergence of the highly infectious mutant strain.
We must not let this rotten government treat our hardworking teachers lives with such disdain and such dismissal. Full support and solidarity to the National Education Union in calling
for schools to close. If our government refuses to protect staff and
communities then the unions have to stand up for all of us, and if the
teachers refuse to go back to school on Monday, it's up to the rest of
us to support them.
I have just signed the following petition from the National Education Union and unison the union, to keep families and schools safe. We must make schools safe to protect our communities. Please sign too.
