Yorkshire parents 'anxious and confused' as schools in region close due to coronavirus

Primary schools in areas including Leeds, York, Bradford, Doncaster, Kirklees and Sheffield did not open in full as expected on the first day of term after the Christmas holidays as the Government came under pressure to keep the majority of pupils out of class and to switch to remote education.

The Prime Minister said the argument for keeping schools open was "powerful" and one of the things he looks back on with the greatest misgivings was closing primary schools in the first wave of the pandemic.

But a coalition of education unions warned that bringing all pupils back to school could fuel the pandemic and put teachers at "serious risk" of falling ill amid the new variant of Covid-19.

The Government's "chaotic" handling of the opening of schools has caused confusion for parents and teachers, according to a joint statement from unions representing school staff and headteachers.

All of London's primary schools and those in some surrounding areas worst hit by Covid-19 will not reopen until January 18, with students elsewhere in England expected to return to class this week. Yorkshire and the Humber remained in Tier 3 ahead of the PM's address to the nation on Monday evening.

But a number of education authorities approached by The Yorkshire Post said primary schools in their areas had closed due to Covid concerns and lack of staff. The National Education Union advised its members that it is not safe to return to classrooms.

A number of schools across the region said they are considering their situation despite local authorities reassuring parents and staff that primary schools can safely open - especially as coronavirus case rates in Yorkshire are much lower than in the south of England.

In Doncaster, director of public health Rupert Suckling wrote to parents saying all primary and special schools in the area would close on Monday for a "Covid planning day", to allow headteachers to take stock and plan.

Mr Suckling said the town had seen a small increase in the number of cases with the overall rate for Doncaster for the seven days ending December 28 at 240.5 infections per 100,000 people.

He said the rates for young people were: 0-4 years, 72 infections per 100,000; 5-9 years, 61.6; 10-14 years, 109; 15-19 years, 291.

But in Sheffield, director of public health Greg Fell wrote to all primary and special schools on Sunday evening to advise them to reopen, though three schools did not reopen fully. Mr Fell said Sheffield's latest data, to January 1, showed the city had 175 positive cases per 100,000 "which is considerably lower than those in the south".

In Kirklees seven schools closed or opened only to vulnerable children and children of key workers due to lack of staff or Covid worries, while in Bradford the total was three.

Bradford Council’s Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Education, Imran Khan said: "It is ultimately the decision of schools to do a proper health and safety assessment of their premises and for Government to decide on schools opening and closing nationally.

"Some schools have decided to close due to staff shortages. We have assured them they have our full support for their decision."

Calderdale council said its advice was to open this week, "provided that schools are confident that any risks to the health and safety of staff and pupils can be managed".

In York, where three schools have not fully reopened, the council's executive member for children Keith Orrell criticised the lack of clarity from the Government.

He said: “Time and time again, this Government has squandered opportunities to get ahead of the virus and left pupils, parents and teachers understandably anxious and confused.

"The Government has had months to come up with a proper plan to keep schools open safely. Instead, the Conservative’s top-down attitude has once again led to last minute and inconsistent decisions that are causing unnecessary havoc in people’s lives."

A number of schools in Leeds did not fully reopen, including Gildersome Primary School, where 16 staff said they would not be teaching full classes.

Headteacher Caroline Hoyle said: "Children who are not allocated a place at school will not be allowed to attend school and will have to learn remotely from Tuesday January 5 until further notice.

"As I write this letter, I know that this will cause anxieties, strains and potential financial losses to families and I cannot apologise enough for this and for the late notice.

"It is with a very heavy heart that I am left with no alternative at the present time than to carry out the above actions. I will keep you informed as and when I know more and I will be liaising with the local authority to find a way forward."

In Hull and North Yorkshire, the majority of schools were on a training day on Monday.