By Schools struggling to stay open amid Covid surge
Schools in high infection areas in England are struggling to stay open and may move into online learning due to rising Covid rates.
The Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Geoff Barton shared that some schools have had 25% of staff absent for several weeks.
There have also been cases where public health officials have told schools to switch to remote learning.
While ministers have said they will do everything to keep schools open on Monday Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi could not guarantee that no schools would be forced to close.
Mr Barton told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme: “Listening to the speculation and the news, and certainly the emails I’ve been getting from members, you are getting some pockets of very severe low attendance, partly young people, partly staff.
“One (school) has emailed me this morning saying 25% of staff have been off for three weeks. You can imagine if you can’t then get supply teachers that becomes very difficult to maintain the quality of education.”
He also mentioned a primary and secondary school in the same academy trust in Suffolk which has moved to remote learning.
“That wasn’t a decision at the whim of a headteacher, that wasn’t someone saying; ‘We are going to close the school so Christmas can come early’.
“That was on public health advice. What we are getting is a national narrative – quite rightly – that we want to do everything we can to keep young people in school.
“But on the ground in particular areas, such as Bury St Edmunds, public health are saying actually because of infection rates, we are recommending that young people should move to remote learning.”
Later today MPs will be voting on the new Plan B measures introduced in England as Omicron has started sweeping the nation.
