Schools need clarity now over New Year reopening plans as Omicron cases surge – The Yorkshire Post says

BORIS JOHNSON’S hesitancy over the imposition of more stringent public health restrictions is indicative of wider concerns about their impact on an economy.
By YP Comment
Published 28th Dec 2021, 05:55 BST
The Government is under pressure to set out its plans for the reopening of schools next week in the face of the Omicron variant.The Government is under pressure to set out its plans for the reopening of schools next week in the face of the Omicron variant.
The Government is under pressure to set out its plans for the reopening of schools next week in the face of the Omicron variant.

Yet the dilemma this Christmas and New Year – health versus wealth – does not excuse Downing Street’s near silence over its intentions for schools when the new term begins next week. Last January, classes resumed for a day before being compelled to close – a state of chaos that was typical of the Government’s complacent negligence towards education under Gavin Williamson.

However, with a politician as astute and ambitious as former vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi now in place as Education Secretary, there’s no excuse for history being allowed to repeat itself – irrespective of the Tory party’s ructions over lockdowns.

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Nearly two years after the first confirmed cases of Covid were identified in Britain, schools remain in a state of perpetual flux from staffing levels to the ventilation of classrooms and assistance to pupils who have fallen behind on learning or missed out on educational experiences.

Nadhim Zahawi is the Education Secretary.Nadhim Zahawi is the Education Secretary.
Nadhim Zahawi is the Education Secretary.

Rather than the Government maintaining the pretence that schools will reopen – a proposition that becomes more absurd with each daily rise in new Covid cases – Ministers should be setting out protocols for Covid testing so contingencies can be put in place before empowering headteachers to determine the best approach for year groups. They will know the children who need to prioritise exams – or the pupils who need specific help from bespoke learning to the provision of warm and nutritious free meals.

As such, Ministers should ensure that there’s support – both financial and practical – available for schools to meet this endeavour rather than teachers and pupils being treated as an after-thought. And, on that basis, there’s no reason for any more delay or dither. Over to you, Mr Zahawi.

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Related topics:Yorkshire PostSchoolsNadhim ZahawiOmicronBoris Johnson

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