Make an Enquiry
Contact Us

Schools will not open to all before summer break

Plans to re-open schools to all pupils for a month before the summer holiday have been scrapped by the government, it has emerged.

Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the National Education Union, said it was “inevitable” that plans for all pupils to return to school would be unworkable given the government’s guidance for schools to adhere to.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson said: “This cautious phased return is the most sensible course of action 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 who have the capacity to bring back more children and those smaller class sizes to do so if they are able to do before the summer holidays.”

“We will be working to bring all children back to school in September,” he added.

Schools closed on 20 March for all pupils apart from vulnerable children known to children's services and the children of key workers.

Mr Williamson said some students who will be due to take exams in 2021 will have experienced “considerable disruption” to their education this year, but the government is committed to “doing all they can to minimise the effects of this”.

Exams will take place next year and the government is working with Ofqual and exam boards on their approach to this.

“While these are small steps, they are the best way to ensure all children can get back into the classrooms as soon as possible,” said Mr Williamson.

Dr Mary Bousted said the NEU wanted schools to open, to all children, but safely. “Given the government’s own guidelines, which of course we have to follow, and the procedures around social distancing and deep cleaning in schools, all the guidance that schools have to follow, it was never the case given the scale of the pandemic that they could accommodate all their pupils with the current guidelines in place.”

In terms of schools returning in September Dr Bousted said she hoped by then the ‘R’ rate would be lower across the UK and hopefully cases would subside. If not, England should learn from the Scottish approach where there is a national plan in place, she said, for a combination of learning in school, at home, distance learning and online learning and to ensure that vulnerable children are encouraged to attend school and have access to the internet. Schools should also look at utilising other school building such as libraries to extend premises for learning.

However, if there is a second spike, education cannot simply stop again, she concluded.

Working Together For Children

Make an enquiry

A multi-disciplinary organisation providing independent, high quality social work, psychological, psychiatric, therapeutic and family support services. Contact us with your requirements and speak to a member of our team who will help you today.
Make an Enquiry

Children First

Sign up to receive our free monthly online resource covering the latest news and developments in the children’s services sector
Children First

Knowledge & Resources

Keep abreast of the latest news in the children's services sector.

A look back at 2022 with WillisPalmer's Head of Practice, Lucy Hopkins…

09/12/2022

2022 saw people trying to get back to some degree of normality following the Covid-19 lockdowns, restrictions and school closures that we had faced for the previous two years. However, the impact of Covid-19 continued and many services experienced, and continue to experience, backlogs and difficulties, including those services relating to children and families.

Social worker [...]
Read Full Story

John Lewis Christmas advert highlights important messages regarding foster care and looked after children

09/12/2022

Every year people are excited to see what the theme of the John Lewis & Partners Christmas advert will be. This year's advert reminded our Head of Practice, Lucy Hopkins, of all the times she arrived at the homes of foster carers with children or young people who were anxious, scared, worried and hungry, having just [...]

Read Full Story

The WillisPalmer Christmas Tree Decorating Competition 2022

09/12/2022
Who Wins..? You Decide!

We have two Christmas trees at the WillisPalmer office and this year the staff upstairs are going to compete with the staff downstairs to see who has the best decorated tree... and we want YOU to decide on the winner!

Tree 1 - Downstairs 

Tree [...]

Read Full Story
Children First is an online resource for professionals working with children presented by WillisPalmer, providing you with the latest news, features and interviews.
Subscribe Today

A Mackman Group collaboration - market research by Mackman Research | website design by Mackman

linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram