Union calls for schools to shut during lockdown
THE National Education Union (NEU) which has hundreds of members in Derby, is currently campaigning to persuade the Government to close schools during the lockdown.
And when the lockdown is over, it wants to see rotas introduced to control numbers of children in school at any one time. The union says that schools should remain open to the children of key workers and vulnerable children during such a general closure period.
Kevin Courtney, joint NEU general secretary, said: “It is clear from ONS (Office for National Statistics) data that schools are an engine for virus transmission. It would be self-defeating for the Government to impose a national lockdown whilst ignoring the role of schools as a major contributor to the spread of the virus.
“Such a lockdown would impose pain on the whole community – but not be as effective as it could be if schools were included. Ignoring the role of schools and colleges in the spread of the virus is likely to lead to the need for even longer lockdowns in future.
“The latest figures from the ONS estimate that 1% of primary pupils and 2% of secondary pupils have the virus and that these levels have increased dramatically since wider opening in September.
“NEU analysis of ONS figures shows that virus levels are now nine times higher amongst primary pupils and an astonishing 50 times higher amongst secondary pupils.”
Mr Courtney said the NEU had called for a two-week circuit break over half term to include schools, which the Wales Government and the Northern Ireland assembly had done.
He added: “But the Government in Westminster has ignored this call. More severe measures are now called for as a result, the Government should not make this mistake again.
“The Government should include all schools in proposals for the immediate national lockdown, including actually meeting its promise to deliver broadband and equipment to those children who do not have them.”
Former chief scientific adviser Sir Mark Walport said the new restrictions were not as “severe” as the first time round, and that there was a “possibility” the restrictions may need to stay in place for more than four weeks.
In an interview with Sky’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday, he warned: “It’s unlikely this time to come down quite as fast as it did during the first lockdown because we have got schools open.”
His comments were echoed by Sir Jeremy Farrar, a member of the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), who said transmission in secondary schools is “high”. He told BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show: “The big difference to the first lockdown is that schools remain open.
“Because we have delayed the onset of this lockdown it does make keeping schools open harder. We know that transmission, particularly in secondary schools is high.
“Personally I think this is definitely the lockdown to put in place now but if that transmission, particularly in secondary schools, continues to rise then that may have to be revisited in the next four weeks in order to get R below one and the epidemic shrinking.”