Headteachers are warning of “chaos” in England’s schools as Omicron sweeps across the country, with high levels of staff and pupil absences and reports that parents are planning to keep children home to avoid the virus before Christmas.
School leaders and unions urged the government to introduce more protective measures, including masks in classrooms, better ventilation and tougher isolation rules to try to slow the spread of the virus before the holidays.
In areas with high infection rates, some year groups are being sent home to study remotely because not enough teachers or supply teachers are available, and a small number of schools have been forced to move online until the end of term.
In some schools up to half the teaching workforce is unavailable for work due to Covid-related absence, according to the NASUWT union, which is calling for a staggered start to the new term and additional on-site testing facilities in January.
Dr Patrick Roach, the NASUWT general secretary, wrote to the education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, on Monday calling for immediate action. “We ask you to avoid a repeat of the confusion and chaos which last year impacted negatively on public and parental confidence and hampered the hard work of teachers and school and college leaders in their preparations at the start of 2021,” he said.
“An immediate announcement from the government on additional measures for schools and colleges is, we believe, essential before the majority of schools and colleges close for the Christmas break.”
Last year the government took legal action against Greenwich council in London to try to force schools to remain open in the run-up to Christmas. It was forced into a U-turn in January, closing schools in England to all but key worker and vulnerable children as the pandemic continued to take its toll.
On Monday Zahawi called for high booster uptake to help protect education. He added: “There is no evidence to suggest we are going to need to close our schools and colleges.”
Speaking on LBC, however, the health secretary, Sajid Javid, admitted the government could not guarantee schools would remain open. Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of National Association of Head Teachers, welcomed “a bit of realism”.
He said: “It is already chaos in some schools as the Omicron wave hits. Delaying action until vaccination can take hold may actually keep children away from school longer in the long-term.
“The government must act now to deliver ventilation solutions, sensible and effective isolation protocols, and lift the unnecessary pressure of inspection and other bureaucratic burdens. That way we can concentrate on keeping children where they should be.”
Pupils at two schools in Bury St Edmunds began home learning this week after two suspected cases of the Omicron variant were identified. Abbots Green academy and Sybil Andrews academy, both part of the Unity Schools Partnership, made the decision following consultation with Suffolk’s public health team and the UK Health Security Agency, the East Anglian Daily Times reported.
Unions, meanwhile, have been told that some parents are planning to keep their children out of school to avoid infection ruining Christmas. “That’s by no means widespread, but it shows the level of concern out there,” a union representative said.
Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the omens were not good. “The situation varies wildly from school to school but high numbers of students absent from the classroom are being compounded by significant numbers of teachers who are also at home ill.
“We know schools are trying their very best to minimise the impact but, in extreme cases, these two factors have resulted in whole year groups being sent home as there are simply not enough teachers to cover all classes.”
Source: Guardian
