Government’s plan to reopen schools ‘not realistic’ before summer, teachers union says

The main headteacher’s union has said that schools cannot fulfill the governments plan to reopen safely. 

The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has warned that schools will be unable to hit the target set by the government to have all primary school pupils back in classrooms before the summer holidays. 

NAHT, which represents 29,000 headteachers, explained that the proposals are ‘not realistic’ and ‘as they currently stand, are likely to prove impractical and unworkable in most schools’.

Teachers are also in a position to legally refuse to return to school when they reopen unless they have the same protections against the coronavirus as other frontline workers, according to another leading teachers union. 

The NASUWT has threatened legal action to defend teachers in a letter to the government. 

They say: “Stringent guidance has been issued for the NHS, for care homes and for employers across the UK. It is unacceptable that this has not been the case for schools.

“The NASUWT believes that teachers and other school staff have the right to the same consideration and protection, and to be confident that their health and welfare, as well as that of pupils, is at the heart of any planning for wider opening.”

The general secretary of NASUWT, Patrick Roach, added: “The NASUWT recognises that schools and employers have been placed in a situation where the wrong decision will result in people becoming seriously ill and dying, and will, therefore, appreciate that there can be no compromise on health and safety.

“If this means that schools are unable to open safely before September, because they are unable to make arrangements to safeguard their staff and pupils, then that position must be accepted.”

Giving power overclosures to local authorities has been pushed for by both of the main teaching unions. England is the only part of the UK asking schools to begin phasing reopenings from the start of the next month.

One headteacher from Kent has voiced his concerns regarding reopening schools with a brutally honest letter that has gone viral on social media. 

Many schools, including independent schools, have told parents they intend to reopen at the start of June.