Earlier this month schools reopened for some of the younger pupils all over the country. After three months of lockdown and virtual classes, children in year 1 and year 6 are now allowed back in school. On June 1st, 10 weeks after Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, asked people to stay at home to avoid infections, some schools partially began to reopen, allowing younger children to begin their journey back into normality. Written by Maria Azzura Volpe
Social distancing is the key word, children were lining up to enter the school building one by one, after members of the stuff checked their temperature for each and every one of them.
Only young children from reception, year 1 and year 6 are now allowed back in school, although the rest of the primary school pupils are expected to make their return later this month. Year 10 and years 12 will be back in school on June 15th, in order to prepare for their GCSE and A-levels; it is likely that the rest of the pupils will be back in school after the summer holidays.
Although some parents are relieved to have a place to safely leave their children while they’re working, some others fear it’s too soon and risky, using websites like “mumsnet” to express their concerns.
To better understand the current situation inside these schools, we spoke to Eliana Gonzales, teaching assistant from Coventry: “I haven’t stopped working. Actually, our school in Coventry remained partially open even during the Easter holidays. We have been working on a rota, 3 days a week, and the number of pupils attending the school has been reduced to 20%”.
According to Mrs Gonzales, implementing social distancing on children is a challenging task for teachers who not always end up completing: “From my experience working in a Special School, I can say that it’s very challenging to discourage pupils from touching their faces and to encourage them to wash their hands constantly. So, to be fair we haven’t been able to follow the Government instructions on hand washing and social distancing, therefore I consider that opening schools fully, without strategies in place, social distancing for instance, is not the best idea at the moment”.
Mrs Gonzales’ opinion is shared by most education’s unions including AEP, GMB, NAHT, NASUWT, NEU, NSEAD, Prospect, UNISON and Unite, who have signed a statement against reopening schools. You can find the statement here:
In response to the criticism received, the Education secretary, Gavin Williamson, said that coming back to school is essential for the personal and academic development of the children, explaining how children, especially the ones who attend primary school, need these early years of education to properly develop their social and behavioural skills.
According to a study conducted by YouGov, 50% of British adults is opposed to the government approach to sending pupils back to school.
Children’s Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, said that parents who are not sending their children to school will not be fined at this time, however circumstances will change in September.
In normal conditions, when children miss school for no good reasons, parents can be fined an amount of £60, which will raise to £120 if not paid within 21 days.
Parents whose children are already back in school, or due to be back soon, should follow the government guidelines:
