The Workers Union is standing up for young people and working parents by asking teachers to reopen classrooms this September.
The move comes as some teachers threatened to close schools amidst concerns about a spike in Coronavirus.
The Prime Minister has made it clear that getting children back to school is an urgent priority. Other senior Tories have also waded into the row. Party co-chairman Amanda Milling urged interested parties to ‘work together to get pupils back safely.’
The Workers Union says
Some young people have been disproportionately affected by lockdown and continue to feel the effects of its aftermath. Indeed, a recent report published by the Childhood Trust identified social isolation as a primary issue. It also warned that closed classrooms have seen some children without the internet locked out of online lessons.
We understand the feelings of those in the teaching profession, some of whom are members. However, it’s clear that we owe future generations the opportunity to return to school. We are confident that taking sensible precautions can help mitigate the risk and provide a solution that works for everybody.
We cannot allow the life-chances of young people to continue to be severely affected by Coronavirus. The current level of cases is down below 1,000 a day in the UK, a huge drop from the numbers reported in April and May. Of course there’s an element of risk in going back to school. But local lockdowns have proved to be an effective way of suppressing transmission. In school measures such as one-way systems and social distancing have already proved reliable. With the addition of regular cleaning and classroom bubbles, schools should be COVID secure.
There is no easy way of doing this and it will require a huge national effort to make it work. But we are confident that British people have enough good sense to meet their responsibilities towards their children for the benefit of wider society.
The Workers Union – Britain’s hardest working union
