Schools should be the last place to be locked down in any future outbreaks, says commissioner
Schools should be the last places to be locked down if any local or national lockdown takes place, the children’s commissioner for England has warned.
Anne Longfield argues that if any lockdown takes place, schools should be the last places to be locked down, after pubs, restaurants and non-essential shops.
She says that given what it known [...]
Children’s commissioner: Thousands of young people falling through gaps in education and care
Thousands of young people in England are falling through the gaps in the school and social care system amidst the Coronavirus pandemic, the children’s commissioner for England has warned.
Anne Longfield has warned that one in 25 teenagers were already slipping out of sight prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. A report sets out the risks affecting [...]
Children’s commissioner tells ministers and unions to ‘stop squabbling’ over re-opening schools
The education secretary has said that the government’s plans to re-open schools on 1 June 2020 in a phased manner is based on science.
Gavin Williamson stood firm on schools in England reopening on June 1 and tried to reassurance parents saying that the government’s plans are based on the “best scientific advice with children at [...]
Labour party leader calls for secondary legislation on children in care to be annulled
The leader of the Labour Party has called for the Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 to be annulled.
Keir Starmer has tabled an early day motion urging the secondary legislation, which came into force on 24 April in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, to be abolished.
The government published a statutory instrument [...]
Children’s commissioner calls for secondary legislation for children in care to be revoked
Measures set out in the secondary legislation on children in care should be revoked, the children’s commissioner for England has urged.
While acknowledging that some local authorities may be experiencing challenging working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic, Anne Longfield said she does not believe that the changes made in these regulations are necessary.
“I would like to [...]
Vulnerable children ‘at heightened risk” as a result of COVID-19
The outbreak of the coronavirus has put hundreds of thousands of vulnerable children in England at heightened risk, the children’s commissioner has warned.
Anne Longfield has raised concerns about the dangers of vulnerable children falling through gaps in services and policy, adding that lockdown measures have removed most of the usual ways of identifying children at [...]
