Scientists have warned against taking forward the reopening of schools in England, saying it would be a “recipe for disaster” while the frequency of the virus remains high.
Boris Johnson of his own MPs is under pressure to follow Scotland’s lead after the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, announced that they will gradually return to the classroom from 22 February.
Scotland’s youngest children, including nursery and primary pupils in years one, two and three, are expected to be back in the classroom full-time from 22 February, along with small numbers of secondary school pupils who need to do practical classroom work for national qualifications.
In England, by contrast, Johnson has said that schools – currently open to only 15% of children who are either perceived as “vulnerable” or whose parents are carers – will not open. emergency – until 8 March at the earliest.
The Prime Minister reiterated on Wednesday that March 8 is still considered “the sensible date to set”.
Johnson told a news conference on Downing Street: “What we do not want to do now is make progress with the rollout of the vaccine and we have a timetable for the way forward. we do not want to be taken back. ” We believe this is the most cautious and cautious approach. I think it’s much better to stick to that. “
However, one senior Conservative with knowledge of the prime minister’s thinking said there was now hope for a “big bang” to reopen, rather than the expected gradual return.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister announced the appointment of an education rehabilitation commissioner to oversee government plans to help children catch up.
Kevan Collins, formerly of the Education Endowment Foundation, who has worked in the sector for more than three decades, will be advising the government on how to spend the £ 300m recently allocated for to fill the teaching deficit created by the crisis.
Johnson said: “I am absolutely convinced that no children will be left as a result of the pandemic. Our priority is to reopen schools and once they are, we will ensure that teachers and students are equipped with the resources and time they need to make up for lost learning. “
When plans to reopen Scotland’s schools were announced on Tuesday, some Conservative MPs, including Covid’s Recovery Group chairman Mark Harper, responded by calling for pupils in England to be bring back.
Robert Halfon, a Conservative who chairs the Commons Education Committee, is among those pushing for schools to open more quickly. He tweet: “Given that Scotland is likely to open some schools in the next few weeks, and with Public Health England saying that primary schools are ‘safe to open soon’, England is sure to be able to lead by example and at least open primary schools by 8 March. “
In an interview with the Curator, Professor Devi Sridhar, chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, however, pointed out that according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics, Covid frequency in Scotland currently half that in England.
“The issue with schools not opening them, it keeps them open,” she said. “If you keep things going, bubbles of 50 children will go home again and again, and that’s not a sustainable education. You better keep them closed longer to bring down your numbers and then open in a more stable way. “
Dr Deepti Gurdasani, senior lecturer in epidemiology at Queen Mary University in London. they urged the prime minister to oppose pressure to reopen schools more quickly, warning that even March 8 looked impractical.
She said community referral rates remained high and were not declining rapidly. “We are in a very precarious position. Parents and children have made great sacrifices due to school closures for most children. It is very important that we do not invest in this. “
Gurdasani said evidence showed that primary school children were twice as likely as adults in the first case at home, and once infected they were twice as likely to transmit as adults. . Sending children back to school while “community referral was still high” was a “disaster recipe”.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of Directors of Schools and Colleges, said: “Everyone wants to see all pupils back in school as soon as possible, but it is very important that this happens when science thinks that it is safe to do so. not to induce an immediate increase in infection levels and require another period of limited opening.
“It is clear that Scotland’s plan for a phased return from 22 February is based on the evidence there, and that does not automatically mean that England should be eligible if the different evidence. “We need to avoid another spike in coronavirus cases, and the opening door of the school.”