CALLS have been made for government to reassess its plans for schools after claims the pandemic could lead to a local safeguarding ‘disaster’.
Warwickshire National Education Union (NEU) says since schools reopened in September a number of secondary schools in Warwick, Leamington and Rugby have had to reduce provision. A school in Solihull had to close completely and a number in Coventry have also been affected.
The teachers union also claims some primary schools had to cut pupil numbers due to infection rates rising.
Warwickshire NEU is calling on government to review its back to school policy and come up with a new plan.
A spokeswoman said: “The impact on the county is already obvious but will only get worse if the government fails to respond to the reasonable requests made by the unions.
“Schools in Warwickshire, along with the rest of the country, were fully reopened in September and almost immediately a pattern of increased covid infection rates in families was cited by the government as the biggest cause of an emerging second wave although they made no connection with schools, concentrating instead on focusing blame on other factors.
“Warwickshire NEU echoes the words of its general secretaries when they call for a sustainable Plan B in the mid and long term, not just for tomorrow and they say, ‘Time is running out and government must act now.’
“How many more individuals, bubbles, classes, year groups and possibly even schools will face possible closures if urgent action is still denied to the county by the government?”
