Northamptonshire union reps concerned about Covid-19 transmission in schools and want more guidance from Government

Two Northamptonshire teaching union representatives have spoken out about ongoing concerns regarding the safety of schools during the pandemic.

Nationally, pressure has mounted for Government to ask schools to move to remote learning as there are increased concerns regarding transmission in school settings.

As a phased return has already been confirmed for secondary schools, attention has been on primary schools and a number in and around Northampton and some in the north of the county have taken the decision to only reopen for children of keyworkers and vulnerable children.

Local union representatives have responded to these partial closures and spoken out about what is needed from Government.

Alan Hackett, member for the National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) in Northamptonshire, said: “We are clear that primary school teachers are contracted to be at work until the Government listens to SAGE.

“We are clear to members that if they feel unsafe then they have to engage with their employer and look at the risk assessments the school has in place.

“Then and only then, if they feel unsafe they should request to work from home.

“We are looking for remote learning for two weeks for all schools and for SAGE to publish its advice that there is genuine concern about the transmission of the virus in schools.”

The union is clear that individuals should decide whether they feel safe with safety measures in places at schools, but is concerned about the transmission in schools.

Alan expects the situation to escalate by the end of the week with instruction from central Government.

A different union in the county has told its members that schools are currently not safe for children or staff.

Elaine Coe, joint secretary for the Northamptonshire branch of the National Education Union, said: “The NEU has made the decision that it is not safe for people in school, staff and students.

“We want schools to open for vulnerable students and children of keyworkers only.

“Heads just want to be doing the right thing for students and many do not think it is safe for students to be in school.

“We want to keep students, student’s families, teachers and teacher’s families safe and the only way to do that is to keep primary schools closed.

“Government knows that is the right thing to do so we want to see a consistent approach for these across the country.

“We need a decision and consistent advice, as well as a statement about exams for GCSE and A-Level students.”

The union is suggesting a two-week learning from home period primary schools, as Elaine hopes after two weeks, schools will know more about testing and how that will affect conditions.

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