Northamptonshire parents split over delay to schools reopening to March at the earliest

Northamptonshire parents seem split over the decision to delay the reopening of schools to at least March 8, announced by the prime minister today (Wednesday, January 27).

Some feel safer having them at home while other are worried about the impact on their development by missing out on classroom education and socialising with their friends.

In response to a Facebook post by this newspaper about the news, Deborah Budd wrote: "I'm happy about that.

"I'm not sending them while it's unsafe. They are coping with home schooling and Zoom calls with their teacher and class."

John L Patch said it made sense and Kel Streeton posted: "Not much we can do then but continue."

However, Craig Mason commented: "So my kids go without education because I am not classed as a key worker?

"If the schools are part open they may as well be fully open as it's not fair on the kids who are missing out."

Valentina Zucca wrote: "I read it earlier I almost punched the wall.

"I’ll send Ethan back to preschool he will learn more than at home with me."

Boris Johnson's announcement shelved hopes of children getting back to school after the February half-term, as the prime minister previously stated.

But the Conservative leader promised he will publish a 'roadmap' of restrictions for the nation next month during a statement to the House of Commons.

Schools throughout Northamptonshire remain open only to vulnerable children and those whose parents are keyworkers.

Head teacher at The Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School in Kingsthorpe, Northampton, said: "We are firm believers that children should all be in school but only if it is safe to do so.

"I think we are all finding this lockdown very different to the previous ones. Trying to do a full time job at home and support the learning of your children can be extremely challenging.

"Particularly if you have several children across different key stages. The weather creates its own challenges for families unable to go for a walk or leave the house for exercise.

"We are very keen to have all our children back. Currently we have a third of children attending lessons in school whilst the rest of our children are receiving live teaching via Microsoft teams .

"For teachers this has been a huge learning curve. I am so proud of what they are doing but we have all said it is really not the same as face to face human interaction.

"We have managed to support children with laptops and wifi codes/SIM cards and wireless routers.

"I am not surprised by the governments announcement due to the number of cases in the UK .

"I am extremely grateful to all of the parents of children who are members of our school family.

"They are amazing and really supportive and I really cannot wait for everyone to be back together in school when it is safe to do so."

Stuart Burns, the chief executive of David Ross Education Trust, which includes numerous schools in Northamptonshire, was pleased to have some clarity from the government.

"We believe that school is the best place for children to be, but we also know that the reopening of schools must be done safely," he said.

"It is helpful to now have a timeline so that we can confidently plan ahead but believe this timeline should remain under review during February.

"In the meantime, we are dedicated to providing the highest quality of remote learning possible and ensuring that our schools and teachers have the resources they need to support pupils - whether they are learning from home or coming into school if they are the children of key workers or vulnerable children.

"We back that up with an enormous effort to reach out to all our families through all methods of communication possible, thereby assuring their well-being, safety and happiness to the best of our ability."