Former Scarborough headteacher wants Government to close schools
A former Scarborough headteacher says the Government needs to close schools as some schools re-open today.
A former Scarborough headteacher says the Government needs to close schools.
It is as primary schools opened today with children of key workers returning and secondary schools having a staggered start from next week.
Anne Swift, who is also a spokesperson for the National Education Union in North Yorkshire, said:
"Amongst young people, they have the highest infection rates and they are transmitting the disease. They still don't get very ill with Covid themselves but they are passing it between each other, to staff and taking it home and into their communities and this is not safe.
"Yesterday he said schools are safe despite the best efforts of headteachers, leaders and school staff to try and make them as Covid secure as possible. Those measures are obviously not good enough particularly with the new variant; and you know, in primary schools social distancing just isn't there.
"The virus is out of control so we think the Government have to really look at the fact that schools are drivers of infection rates and something needs to be done. We can't wait. We can't have children going back to school into unsafe circumstances as far as staff and the wider community are concerned.
"It feels worse and although we know more about the disease and we've got these vaccines coming on string, we don't want to blow that opportunity by not handling this correctly. It seems tantalisingly just our of reach at the moment getting a control on this."