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A dispute has erupted over Boris Johnson’s hopes for a reopening of the “big bang” schools, as sources claimed he had encountered resistance from Professor Chris Whitty.
England’s medical director was said to have been reluctant to put his name on a public display of support for the policy this week, although the government has insisted it has no reservations. Educational sources had told the Guardian that Whitty was “very unhappy” with the idea of the 10 million children and staff returning to schools in England on March 8.
On Monday, the prime minister will announce the government’s roadmap to lift national lockdown restrictions in place since the beginning of the year. While ministers have publicly pledged to reopen schools “starting” March 8 rather than having all students return on that date, the number 10 is said to be planning a widespread return for all groups for the year.
But school leaders are increasingly concerned as they expected a gradual return, especially in high schools, to allow repeat Covid tests to be administered. Currently, schools are open only to vulnerable students and the children of key workers.
It is understood that ministers and high-level legislators, including permanent secretaries, have tried to convince Whitty that he needs to make a public statement of support for the policy to reassure parents and teachers about safety, it is understood. But so far it has not provided an endorsement to be included in media materials that will be distributed before Monday’s announcement, the sources said.
Instead, Whitty has offered support described as “lukewarm” and is expected to say it is up to politicians to make the final call on the school reopening schedule.
An education source said they believed the dispute could be resolved, adding: “Issue 10 will feature a formulation of words that Whitty can live by.”
A government spokesperson said the claims were “categorically false,” adding: “We know that schools, parents and students need clarity on plans as soon as possible, so we have committed to giving them two weeks’ notice. so that you prepare … I will return from March 8 at the earliest. ” A 10th source said Sage’s advice on the roadmap would be released “after the event.”
While the spread of the virus in schools is still being studied, interim data from this week’s React-1 study revealed that while Covid infections had declined by two-thirds, they were more prevalent among people aged five to 12. years and 18 to 24 years. The researchers suggested this could be because a significant proportion of primary school students are still in classrooms during the lockdown.
Like last year’s plan to lift the lockdown, Johnson’s roadmap on Monday is expected to outline the earliest dates that various sectors of the economy could reopen if coronavirus data allows, with a caveat. that they could slide if the situation deteriorates. “If we need to move things to the right because of our assessment of the pandemic, then we may have to,” said a Downing Street source.
The prime minister has repeatedly emphasized that schools will be the first things to reopen, and nonessential retail sales and hospitality are expected to follow after that. The ministers are also eager to take a break after the children return to the classroom to allow the impact on the spread of the virus to be assessed.
However, there is unlikely to be any solid good news for families hoping to book a summer vacation abroad in the document accompanying the announcement, with Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock still keen to monitor the emergence of variants before lifting restrictions on foreigners. travel.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak will follow the roadmap with a budget on March 3 that is expected to expand business support measures that run out by the end of the month. Government sources said Sunak is finally preparing to announce a temporary extension of the £ 20-a-week increase in universal credit within budget. Anti-poverty activists, including footballer Marcus Rashford, have called for the push to be extended, but Sunak is reluctant to make it permanent, with a likely six-month extension.
Johnson has been under intense pressure from his party to ensure that all schools reopen as soon as possible, and concerns about the issue extend far beyond the Covid Recovery backbencher group.
Three MPs – Education Select Committee Chairman Robert Halfon, former Health Minister Steve Brine and Democratic MP Munira Wilson – have scheduled a background debate Thursday on the “Covid recovery plan” for schools, which it could become a focus of criticism of the prime minister. if you are deemed too shy to reopen. Some colleagues believe that Johnson has been “captured” by his cautious scientific advisers.
The roadmap for England will be finalized on Sunday at a meeting of the government’s Covid strategy committee. The full cabinet will then seal it, probably Monday morning, before Johnson announces it in the Commons around 3:30 p.m. He will later chair a press conference in Downing Street, where Whitty and Chief Scientific Advisor Patrick Vallance are expected to join him.
The pressure on Whitty to wholeheartedly support a return of the “big bang” for students comes when school leaders and unions issued a rare joint statement warning that schools should not reopen unless the scientific evidence is unequivocal.
The statement warned: “We are increasingly concerned that the government is willing to order the complete return of all students on Monday 8 March in England. This would seem like a reckless course of action. It could trigger another spike in Covid infections, prolong the disruption to education, and risk throwing away the hard-won progress in suppressing the virus during the latest lockdown. “
The group said Johnson should “commit until March 8 only if the scientific evidence is absolutely clear that this is safe, and at that time should not go beyond a gradual return of children and youth in sufficient time to assess the impact before moving on to the next phase ”.
Saying that reopening schools would directly affect 10 million students and staff, almost a fifth of England’s population, the group said: “This is not a small reduction in closure restrictions. It’s a huge step. “
Signatories include the Association of School and University Leaders (ASCL) and the National Association of Teacher Directors, as well as major teacher unions, and Unite, GMB and Unison representing school support staff. The governors of the schools, the representatives of the sixth grade universities and higher education also signed.
A compromise on reopens may allow test-taking elementary and middle school students to return immediately, and other high school students to return when testing arrangements allow.
Geoff Barton, ASCL general secretary, has advocated for schools to have the ability to delay the return of class groups in order to take government-required tests. Students who test negative may return to the classroom immediately.
In Wales, Prime Minister Mark Drakeford announced that primary schools would fully reopen on March 15 after children up to seven years old returned on Monday. In Scotland, children up to the age of seven will also return from Monday, as will some students taking exams. Other students are likely to return in mid-March.
