Teachers warn of ‘catastrophic’ surge in infections if schools are allowed to open

Schools in Northern Ireland have been closed to all but a few pupils since late March due to the Covid-19 crisis. First Minister Arlene Foster had previously said that was likely to last until the summer.

Schools in Wales may admit more pupils in early June, however, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson is also expected to set out a plan to reopen schools on a phased basis for some pupils in England.

Schools in the Republic of Ireland, though, will remain closed until September at the earliest.

The British and Irish Group of Teacher Unions (BIGTU) has written to all of the education sectretaries in the UK and the Republic setting out what conditions its members believe need to be met before schools reopen.

The letter states: “We wish to urge significant caution in any consideration of reopening schools. Firstly, we would highlight the very real risk of creating a spike in the transmission of the virus by a premature opening of schools.

“We are convinced by the experience of other systems that a critical tool in preventing a surge of infection is an established capacity to ‘test trace and isolate’ and we would argue that reopening schools before such a regime is in place, would be catastrophic to the rate of infection.

“Secondly, it is clear to all that schools can only reopen and operate safely if there are significant operational changes in place to ensure effective social distancing, strong hygiene routines linked to thorough cleansing practices, appropriate PPE available where required, and ongoing risk assessments in place to monitor operations.

“This will mean that as schools cannot reopen as normal, a phased return will be required and priorities established around attendance, which is likely to be part time for most pupils.

“As part of the establishing of priorities we would stress a third point – which is the need to consider equity. We recognise that children from poor and challenged backgrounds and vulnerable children will inevitably require significant additional support as we move slowly back to a more settled situation.

“We need to recognise, also, that potentially all children will have suffered a level of trauma as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and we would urge that the initial focus when schools reopen, in any capacity, should be on the health of our students.”