Harrogate headteachers raise concerns over plans to reopen schools

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After the Prime Minister revealed that some year groups could be returning to primary schools as early as June, Chris Parkhouse, headteacher at Grove Road Community Primary School, said the idea was ‘very concerning’ and more information would prove vital.

The Government announced its ambition for all primary school pupils in England to go back to school for one month before the summer, as well as Reception, Year One and Year Six pupils to be back in school from June 1 at the earliest.

Department for Education guidelines on how schools should respond when welcoming children back include:

- Limiting primary school class sizes to just 15 pupils;

- Ensuring desks are spaced as far apart as possible;

- Making sure that outdoor space is utilised;

- The staggering of lunch and break times, alongside drop-off and pick-up times.

But Mr Parkhouse thinks the practicalties of this could prove extremely difficult - particularly whilst still adhering to social-distancing rules.

He told the Harrogate Advertiser: “Since the very beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, schools have only received information via the national announcements at the same time as the general public.

“This update was no different and it makes it exceptionally challenging for schools to plan and prepare for further change adequately and in a timely manner.

“We are all desperate to see a return to some form of normality, and my team and I, even with daily communication and online learning, miss the children greatly.

“The lack of clarity from the latest announcement, however, is very unsettling and we need significantly more information and support from the Government to ensure the safety of the children, staff and families.

“I will not open my school until this has been provided and I have absolute confidence to do so.”

He is particularly concerned about the younger children who are set to return to school in June.

“The proposal to bring back all four to six year olds as a priority is concerning in regards to maintaining effective social-distancing to ensure our pupils, teachers and families are kept safe,” he said.

“There will be huge practical difficulties to solve as we have over 80 Reception and Year One children.

“For example, a four year old will often need an adult to hold their hand, or reassure them with a cuddle, within seconds of a normal school day.

“They will want to learn through play within close proximity of their peers whilst sharing the same resources.

“The strategy has to be carefully planned and implemented, guided by robust scientific evidence, particularly on infection and transmission rates for different age groups.”

During the coronavirus lockdown, Grove Road Primary School has been open seven days a week to support children of key workers and vulnerable families - including the Easter holidays.

Mr Parkhouse said: “My team have gone above and beyond to care for the families in our community, helping to fight this virus and save lives.

“Closing our school at short notice was a challenge and reopening school - whenever and however this happens - will be no less of one, however, we will be working tirelessly to ensure that the health and safety of the children is the central focus of what we do.”

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A survey conducted by JPIMedia this week showed that 41% of those who took part across Yorkshire did not feel at all comfortable with the idea of their children returning to school in June, whilst a further 21% said they were not overly comfortable with the idea of going back.

And more than 400,000 people in the UK have now signed a petition urging the Government to give parents a choice on sending their children back to school if they reopen before the traditional summer break.

The Government has responded to this by confirming that families who choose to keep their children at home when they reopen will not face fines.

Whilst some primary age children could be back in school by June, the Government has said that those at secondary school and sixth form are not expected to return full-time before the end of the academic year.

It says the current plan is for students set to take exams next year, including those in Years 10 and 12, to have some face-to-face contact with teachers before the end of the final term, although the specifics of this have not yet been released.

Headteacher at King James’ School in Knaresborough, Carl Sugden, has said schools are in need of more guidance from the Government before they can make any big decisions on how and when they will reopen.

He told the Harrogate Advertiser: “From our point of view, we want to be able to welcome some students back into school but not at the expense of the risk to the health of our children, their parents and our staff.

“We have spent a lot of time looking at how social-distancing and increased hygiene measures might operate in a school environment and the truth is that it is very difficult.

“Our position is that we would like to see any return to school based on good scientific evidence that it is safe to do so.

“In the meantime we remain committed to providing the best online learning experience and support for the welfare of our students.”

And the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has also released a statement claiming that some elements of the planned reopenings will not be possible.

It comes after the Department for Education released its advice on observing social-distancing in schools on Monday evening .

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Head of the NAHT, Paul Whiteman, told the MPs committee: “As we understand the requirements of social-distancing today, we do not think that’s possible in terms of the return that’s outlined.”

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