After months of messy back and forth, the government has bitten the bullet and announced schools and colleges will fully reopen in September. But parents seem unhappy with their masterplan, with 23% of 2,200 parents surveyed saying that they would not send their kids back.
A Department of Education press release added that, ‘Schools will need to work with families to secure full attendance from the start of the new academic year, with the reintroduction of mandatory attendance.' This means the decision about whether you think your child is safe from coronavirus at school has been taken out of your hands. Currently, until the summer holidays, parents cannot be fined for deciding they’d rather keep their children at home. In the same survey by Childcare.co.uk, 61% of those who say they wouldn't send their kids to school said they didn't care if they were fined.
For non-attendance, local councils can give each parent a fine of £60, which rises to £120 each if you do not pay within 21 days. If you do not pay the fine after 28 days you may be prosecuted for your child’s absence from school. You could get a fine of up to £2,500, a community order or a jail sentence up to 3 months.
Of the parents who wouldn't send kids back, 80% said they thought the government was only opening schools for economic reasons and two-thirds feel it's unsafe. 67% of parents who will send to schools also worry it's unsafe, but that it's important for children to return, 18% worried it was unsafe but cited the importance of mental health for the return.
So, what is the big plan that’s going to solve the huge conundrum we’ve been all pondering on for months? How do you keep a full capacity school (with little funding for expansion or safety measures) open, while employing social distancing and safe precautions to protect the children – and, therefore us, because of course they then go to shops, homes, grandparents… - from the ongoing threat of coronavirus?
Well… um, I guess if you’re being kind, you could call it the Nike action plan. You just do it.
The government, of course, will say that’s not true at all, and they they’re bringing schools back with a plan.
The logistics of keeping apart many different ‘bubbles’ of children in a full school... is mind-boggling.
Restrictions on the small bubble sizes will be lifted. And bubbles will be made the size of a whole class – or, for senior pupils who go across subjects – a whole year. Can you really call a group of up to 200 children a bubble? Yep, yep apparently you can.
Staff and pupils, where they are able, should also be encouraged to keep their distance from each other and avoiding touching.
Other measures include: teachers to distance from each other and older students where possible, increasing the frequency of cleaning, reducing the use of frequently shared items and minimising contact in corridors. Staggered breaks and start times have been mentioned.
There will, of course, be ‘regular cleaning and handwashing’, which is probably the only steady government policy that’s not been u-turned on in three months.
The government adds that there won’t be scenarios where a whole school is closed down by one rocketing temperature anymore: ‘Where there is a positive case in a school or college, the Public Health England local health protection team will advise on the appropriate action, which could include small groups of young people and staff being asked to self-isolate for up to 14 days. Where there are two or more confirmed cases in a two-week period, health protection teams may ask a larger number of other children or young people to self-isolate at home as a precautionary measure. Where an outbreak in a school is confirmed, for specific detailed investigations a mobile testing unit may be dispatched to test others who may have been in contact with the person who has tested positive. Testing will first focus on the person’s class, followed by their year group, then the whole school if necessary.’
Schools are expected to have plans in place to offer remote education to pupils self-isolating.
Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders told the Guardian the advice was ‘mind-boggling’. He said: ‘It will be immediately apparent to anyone reading this guidance that it is enormously challenging to implement. The logistics of keeping apart many different ‘bubbles’ of children in a full school, including whole-year groups comprising hundreds of pupils, is mind-boggling.”
Of course, experts do stress that children going back to school is key – for their mental health and social development as well as their education. It’s also really important for children from a disadvantaged background, to have the structure, safety and food that school provides.
Last month, speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, the Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield said education had not received the attention or priority from the government of other areas. In a statement, she noted this has been the biggest disruption to educations since the Second World War and that disadvantaged children in particular were going to be affected.
It is essential that government continues to monitor the data and that it also has a credible plan B in place should it be required.
‘Previous research has suggested that up to two thirds of the gap between economically disadvantaged children and their more affluent peers is accounted for by the six-week summer holidays,' it said. 'This is a period when no children are undertaking formal education, but where gaps still emerge in children’s skills and abilities. School buildings have been closed to most pupils for over two months now and many pupils will not be physically returning until September – making this a six month gap.’
Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jenny Harries, in a statement this morning summed up the delicate balance the government is having to reckon with, between mental health and education, and public health and safety.
‘A child’s education is essential to their healthy development - we know that missing too much school can have a negative impact on children’s mental and physical wellbeing,’ she said. ‘Everybody wants children to be safe and thankfully as we have learned more about COVID-19, the evidence has shown that the risk of severe disease in children is low. However, although the number of COVID-19 cases has declined, it is still in general circulation - so it important we ensure schools implement sensible precaution to reduce potential transmission of COVID-19 and minimise any risk to teachers and their pupils.’
As we move past 100 days of lockdown, very few parents are arguing against the idea that children need to go back to school. But most parents are still worried about whether they can trust the evidence and instincts of a government who has repeatedly u-turned on policy and advice about everything from wearing masks to school meals.
Less than four months ago, Boris Johnson sat on national TV and chatted happily about shaking hands with people with coronavirus. Now, his government are telling parents that in two months, their most loved person in the world will be juuuuust fine in their (now-washed-non-shaking) hands. It’s understandable that, with little change really to safety measures, some parents are sceptical.
Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers told the Guardian the government should have a Plan B. ‘The situation seen in Leicester this week has demonstrated that this crisis is far from over, and there will be further disruption ahead. It is therefore essential that government continues to monitor the data when it comes to school return and that it also has a credible plan B in place should it be required.’
If coronavirus has taught us anything, it’s probably that you can’t be sure of what’s to come in the next few months. ‘Second spike’ is one of the most-used phrases in conversation and looms large over us all. How are we all to be so certain that things will be fine (and cases will still be falling as the government repeatedly reference in their press release) come September? And that the government, afraid of another u-turn, won’t plough on with their schools plan regardless?
Who knows – maybe they’ve got a crystal ball with a fast-track to September. If they have, we’d like a go on it please…
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