Union says teachers across Kirklees 'scared' to return to classrooms

Kirklees Council said it will back headteachers’ decisions across the district as whether to remain shut or not after Government advised re-opening on June 1.
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The council is working with schools to plan a wider return to class safely, amid fears bringing more pupils back to learning could cause a second wave of the deadly coronavirus.

However, ministers are facing mounting pressure from councils across the country and teaching unions to reconsider plans to re-open schools.

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Pete Keal, Secretary of West Yorkshire Authority Trade Union Council, said: “Many teachers, parents and pupils are scared to return to school.

Union says teachers across Kirklees 'scared' to return to classroomsUnion says teachers across Kirklees 'scared' to return to classrooms
Union says teachers across Kirklees 'scared' to return to classrooms

“With the COVID-19 daily death rate still in the hundreds, the new infection rate remaining higher than at the beginning of the lockdown and the high number of Covid-19 confirmed cases in Yorkshire, this is not the time to reopen our schools.

“This view is supported by a number of West Yorkshire’s Local Education Authorities.

“The Government must satisfy the National Education Union (NEU) and its five tests through providing reliable evidence, peer-reviewed science and transparent decision-making.”

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Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said teachers and pupils will be able to test for Covid-19 if they develop symptoms when they return to schools.

Leader of Kirklees Council and Batley councillor, Shabir Pandor, said: “The truth is no one has yet decided that schools will re-open on 1 June. It’s a government ambition that depends on several factors.

“We need to know a lot more before we make a judgment that’s right for families, teachers and school.

“We’re standing shoulder to shoulder with schools and colleges across Kirklees, working with trade unions and supporting families.

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"We’ll do what’s in the best interests of all our children and families and make sure they have the best possible environment to return to school.It could mean some children return on 1 June, or it might be later. We’ll be guided by evidence, not the politics.”

The NEU’s five tests are much lower numbers of new Covid-19 cases; a national plan for social distancing; comprehensive access to regular testing for children and staff; arrangements to test a whole school or college when a case occurs with isolation being strictly followed; and protection for vulnerable staff, and staff who live with vulnerable people.