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Thousands of teachers have backed a call to close schools when England enters a national lockdown next week.
Boris Johnson confirmed at the Downing Street news conference Saturday night that schools, universities and colleges will remain open when the one-month national closure begins on Thursday.
The prime minister said the country could not allow the virus to “damage the future of our children even more than it already has.”
Earlier, the Deputy Secretary General of the National Education Union (NEU), Kevin Courtney, insisted that the ONS data showed that schools “are an engine for the transmission of viruses.”
Demanding classrooms are closed Mr. Courtney said: “It would be counterproductive for the government to impose a national closure, while ignoring the role of schools as one of the main contributors to the spread of the virus.
“The government should include all schools in proposals for an immediate national closure.”
The ONS said Friday that older teens and young adults “continue to have the highest positivity rates, while the rates appear to be rising sharply among high school kids.”
Courtney said NEU’s own analysis of the ONS figures shows virus levels are now nine times higher among elementary students and 50 times higher among high school students since the start of the trimester.
He made the statement before Saturday’s briefing, after news schools would remain open and was leaked to the media.
However, it had no impact on the government’s decision.
Justifying his approach, Mr. Johnson said: “My priority, our priority, continues to be keeping people in education.
‘So childcare, early childhood settings, schools, colleges and universities will remain open.
“Our experienced doctors continue to advise that school is the best place for children.
“We cannot allow this virus to harm our children’s future even more than it already has and I urge parents to continue taking their children to school.
“I am very grateful to teachers across the country for their dedication to allowing schools to remain open.”
The NEU, which represents the majority of teachers and education professionals in the UK, said 60,000 teachers and support staff have endorsed its call for #CloseTheSchools, which started trending on Twitter shortly after the announcement of the first Minister.
The union wants schools to remain open only for the children of key workers and vulnerable children and argues that failure to close them will result in a longer closure.
The dispute comes after figures showed that more than half of secondary schools in England sent at least one student home due to the coronavirus last week.
However, there is conflicting data on this, and scientists say the role of transmission in children is not yet fully understood.
Earlier this month, a report from the World Health Organization said open schools did not lead to an increase in spread from the community where infection was low. He said preventative measures along with reopening schools, such as contact tracing, prevented larger outbreaks.
He also warned of the damaging impact of not attending school on children and said closing schools should only be considered “as a last resort.”
Anne Longfield, England’s Commissioner for Children, said it is “very welcome” that the schools remain open, adding that it would have been a “disaster” if they closed.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Associations of Teachers’ Directors (NAHT) said it was “right to prioritize keeping students in schools.”
But he called for more support for students and staff who need to isolate themselves.
Nick Brook, NAHT Deputy Secretary General, said: ‘Children learn best when they are in school. At a time when we should be talking about how best to help students regain lost learning, we are faced with the challenge of ensuring that they are not left further behind.
The government must now accept that relying on a series of summer exams in 2021 is a totally inappropriate solution.
“We must be confident that the continued disruption of education this year will not result in the award of grades that do not fairly reflect the true ability of students. Future opportunities and life chances for 16- and 18-year-olds should not be limited as a result of government hesitation. ‘
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