Town Hall says decision rests with individual Wigan schools if they choose to re-open or not on June 1

Wigan Council has said it is up to individual borough schools if they want to follow Government advice and re-open in 11 days' time.
St Mark's School in Newtown was one of the first schools in Wigan borough to close for a deep clean weeks before all schools were forced to close as the pandemic spreadSt Mark's School in Newtown was one of the first schools in Wigan borough to close for a deep clean weeks before all schools were forced to close as the pandemic spread
St Mark's School in Newtown was one of the first schools in Wigan borough to close for a deep clean weeks before all schools were forced to close as the pandemic spread

The local authority said it would support schools regardless of whether they choose to open up or stay close amid continued fears of re-spreading the Covid-19 virus.

Earlier this week the borough’s branch of the National Education Union (NEU) says teachers were extremely worried about the prospect of schools re-opening on June 1.

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Prime minister Boris Johnson has said he hopes children in reception, year one and year six could be back in class on that date.

It is then hoped that pupils will gradually return, with those secondary school teenagers facing exams getting time with their teachers and most primary school children going back into class before the summer holidays.

But the NEU Wigan has raised major doubts about how social distancing will work in classrooms and how to ensure the virus is not passed around in schools and then taken home where vulnerable family members could be infected.

The idea of capping class sizes at 15 has also raised logistical questions.

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NEU Wigan joint district secretary Max Atkins says that on some recent days he has been fielding up to 100 emails from teachers and support staff worried about what the coming weeks and months holds.

And both the NEU and the NASUWT have made it clear they are not happy about what ministers are asking of their members.

The Department for Education (DfE) says it has taken expert advice and will continue to consult with the unions.

Mr Atkins said: “If you are in a confined classroom for six or seven hours with children who could be carrying the virus and then go home to your own family it is going to be transmitted.

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“We have quite a few vulnerable staff members and others living with people who are shielding. They’ve been taking good care of them for weeks and it’s all going to go to pot if they have to go back to the classroom.

“Our members want to be back in work but at the end of the day it’s a health and safety issue.

“Children, especially in early years, aren’t going to social distance. They are going to hug each other when they’ve not seen each other for eight or nine weeks. How are you going to do play-based things in early years if they have to be on their own at a distance?

“We’ve got problems with children being dropped off at school and all coming in at the same time.

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“There are going to be up to 15 children in a classroom, and one union says even that is not possible in most schools, so children are going to be in on a fortnightly basis.

“And if someone gets the virus the school will have to close for a few days, which will again throw everything into chaos.

“There are so many things that haven’t been thought through in the rush to get people back to work and into school.

“We’ve been inundated with messages from members worried about having to go back.”

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But some schools may choose to open up if they feel it is safe to do so.

And a Wigan Council spokesperson said: “The safety and welfare of children, parents and all of our staff in schools and childcare providers is of paramount importance and whilst we are eager to get children back into education, we need to ensure that this is not putting them and others at increased risk of infection from Covid-19 at this time.

“We will continue to support all of our schools in working through what the new proposals could look like but ultimately each school is different and the decision on how they reopen safely will rest with them.”

Schools should reopen "as soon as it is safe to do so", the British Medical Association has said, despite ministers facing pressure to reconsider plans for some pupils to return to the classroom next month.

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The BMA's public health medicine committee chairman Dr Peter English said there was "growing evidence" that the risk to children from coronavirus is "extremely small" - but cautioned there is "no united view yet" on whether children can spread it.

The doctors' union previously said the Government should not consider reopening schools in England until the case numbers are "much lower".

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Dr English said: "The decision about when schools should be allowed to reopen is an extremely difficult one.

"We know that the longer children are kept away from the classroom, the greater the harm to their education, life opportunities and wellbeing.

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"For disadvantaged children, this harm is even greater. A focus on arbitrary dates for schools to reopen is polarising.

"The BMA wants schools to reopen as soon as it is safe to do so and the evidence allows - this could be before June 1 or after. But a zero-risk approach is not possible. This is about 'safe' being an acceptable level of risk."

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