Govt must take immediate measures for “inevitable” school closures

The Liberal Democrats have warned that the Government must take immediate steps to prepare for “inevitable” closures to schools and universities in order to limit the spread of coronavirus.

In a letter sent to the Education Secretary today (17 Mar), the party’s education spokesperson Layla Moran has pointed to schools that are already making plans to close during the pandemic and called for “urgent clarity… about what they will be expected to provide and how vulnerable children will be protected”.

The latest research from Imperial College London, which informed the Government’s actions announced this week, recommends that the minimum steps needed to suppress the virus include both “population-wide social distancing” and “school and university closure.”

In her letter, Layla Moran requests an urgent meeting with Ministers in order to discuss:

• If schools have the funding to pay for home-working equipment for staff who do not have it, and for online teaching resources for students;
• How the Government will ensure that the children of NHS staff and other frontline workers are looked after when schools close;
• How schools will ensure that children who receive free schools meals will not go hungry;
• What steps are needed to protect vulnerable children, such as those with chronic health conditions and pupils excluded from school;
• If he will scrap this year’s SATs and ensure the suspension of Ofsted inspections lasts at least three months, in order to reduce pressure on teachers and pupils;
• What support and dispensation the Government and exam boards will give to students about to take GCSEs or A-Levels.

Liberal Democrat Education spokesperson Layla Moran MP said:

“The evidence the Government is following suggests that closing schools and universities is now a matter of ‘when’, not ‘if’. The Government must start adequately preparing schools.
 
“Teachers and parents need as much advance warning as possible about when schools will close and how children will be looked after. Ministers must provide clarity about what schools are expected to provide and how vulnerable children will be protected. I have asked for an urgent call with the Education Secretary to seek some answers.
 
“The Liberal Democrats will be critical and constructive with the Government during this pandemic. We will support Ministers in their efforts to keep people healthy and safe, whilst arguing for more support for students, businesses and communities to help them manage this crisis.”

The full text of Layla Moran’s letter, sent to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson:
 
Dear Gavin,

I am writing to request a call with you to discuss the urgent situation in our schools in the face of covid-19 and the need for immediately clarity from Government about what schools must do in the inevitable event that they close.

Yesterday, the Government outlined a new strategy to suppress the spread of covid-19. This followed analysis from Imperial College London that ‘suppression’ was the best way to minimise deaths and reduce the pressure on the NHS to a manageable level.

Imperial’s research concludes that “a minimum policy for effective suppression is therefore population-wide social distancing combined with home isolation of cases and school and university closure.” From this, it seems inevitable that schools will close as the pandemic peaks.

You will have seen today’s letter from the National Education Union. They warn that the advice to staff who are older or who have certain long-term health conditions to stay at home will make it harder for schools to operate.

Schools are already making plans about how to manage during the pandemic. They need urgent clarity from the Government, Ofsted and Ofqual about what they will be expected to provide and how vulnerable children will be protected.

To that end, I would like to discuss with you:

• Whether schools who need to buy home-working equipment for staff and online teaching resources will have the money to do so.
• How you will ensure that the children of key frontline workers, such as NHS staff, food and distribution workers and the emergency services, are looked after so that their parents and guardians can work.
• How schools can ensure that children eligible for free school meals do not go hungry and can access nutritious food. Will you, for example, allow schools to use their free school meals funding to provide supermarket vouchers to affected households?
• What steps you will take to ensure that vulnerable children, such as those with chronic health conditions, pupils who have been permanently excluded from school, and pupils with chaotic home environments are supported for the duration of the period that schools close.
• What steps you will take to reduce teachers’ workload during this period. I recommend that you abolish SATs for this academic year and order Ofsted to lengthen its current suspension of inspections for at least three months.
• How you will ensure that students about to take their GCSEs, A-Levels and other formal exams this summer will not be seriously disadvantaged. Will the exams still take place? What advice will you give exam boards about ensuring that this disruption is accounted for when marking exam scripts? How will you support students relying on these exams to get into university?

Schools need as much advance warning as you can give them about when they will close and what education provision they will be expected to offer whilst they are shut. The Government has so far hoped for the best outcome of this crisis, but schools need to start planning for the worst.

I and the Liberal Democrats will continue to be critical and constructive with during this crisis. We will support the Government to keep people healthy and safe, whilst pressing for more support for students, businesses, and communities. I hope we can arrange a time to speak at the earliest opportunity.

Best wishes
Layla