Prime minister tries to reassert his grip over education after days of chaos, saying risk of contracting virus in schools is ‘very small’
9.13am BST
Pupils in Northern Ireland have returned to school for the first time since the coronavirus lockdown began in March.
Some parents have expressed concerns while teachers’ unions say educators have not been given enough time to respond to rules issued earlier this month.
8.55am BST
On that note, the Tories are plugging away at trying to allay the fears of parents ahead of schools reopening on the airwaves this morning.
The minister for school standards, Nick Gibb, has insisted the measures schools are taking to minimise the risk of the transmission of Covid-19 are “very effective”.
If they’ve got extra concerns, that is a matter between the headteacher and the family to make sure that their concerns are taken into account, but it is important – it’s a moral imperative – that young people are back in school, because what the chief medical officers are saying now is that the risk of not being in school outweighs the very small risk of children being in school, particularly given all the control measures, the hygiene, the cleaning that’s taking place in our schools.”
Continue reading…Prime minister tries to reassert his grip over education after days of chaos, saying risk of contracting virus in schools is ‘very small’Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage 9.13am BSTPupils in Northern Ireland have returned to school for the first time since the coronavirus lockdown began in March. Some parents have expressed concerns while teachers’ unions say educators have not been given enough time to respond to rules issued earlier this month. 8.55am BSTOn that note, the Tories are plugging away at trying to allay the fears of parents ahead of schools reopening on the airwaves this morning. The minister for school standards, Nick Gibb, has insisted the measures schools are taking to minimise the risk of the transmission of Covid-19 are “very effective”. If they’ve got extra concerns, that is a matter between the headteacher and the family to make sure that their concerns are taken into account, but it is important – it’s a moral imperative – that young people are back in school, because what the chief medical officers are saying now is that the risk of not being in school outweighs the very small risk of children being in school, particularly given all the control measures, the hygiene, the cleaning that’s taking place in our schools.” Continue reading…