Yvonne Fovargue MP: Keeping schools open is a priority

I pay tribute to teachers, headteachers and school staff for making it possible for children to remain in the classroom.

I believe keeping schools open must be a national priority. This means schools should be prioritised for expansions in coronavirus testing capacity so that they can remain open safely.

Plans have now been announced for GCSE, AS and A-level exams to go ahead in summer 2021.

Most exams will be delayed by three weeks and other measures will include more generous grading; students receiving advance notice of some topics covered; and additional exams to give students a second chance to sit a paper if the main exams are missed due to illness/self-isolation.

It has also been confirmed that routine Ofsted inspections will not resume until the summer term, and exam results will not be used in league tables this year.

I am glad the Government has finally responded to the pleas of students, their parents and teachers who have been asking for months how exams will be conducted fairly in 2021.

While I welcome measures to assess pupils on what they have learned and ensure reserve papers will be in place for pupils who might miss out, there are still fundamental inequities between students who have suffered different levels of disruption to their learning.

Going forward, the absolute priority must be to ensure children’s learning is not disrupted unduly by the pandemic.

I also support making exams fairer and would like to see greater optionality in exams. To ensure schools can remain open safely and to support pupils to learn remotely when they need to self-isolate, the Government must review financial support available for schools, ensuring schools can cover the costs of cleaning and supply teachers when staff have to isolate.

High streets are the heart of our communities and of our British way of life.

I am worried that the Government is standing by as Britain’s high streets decline. Footfall on our high streets was down by 10% in recent years even before the coronavirus hit, and about one in 10 high street shops were already standing empty.

The coronavirus pandemic has only deepened the emergency on our high streets.

Since the economic crisis began in March, up to 20,000 shops have closed and 200,000 people have lost their jobs in retail and hospitality.

Unfortunately, instead of offering the help that is needed, the Government is refusing to properly support businesses under the highest tiers of restrictions.

Hospitality businesses and their supply chains are in particular trouble.

Some 5,500 pubs and bars have already closed in the past decade.

After struggling to survive the pandemic for nine months, the sector urgently needs support to survive.

It is therefore shocking that the Government has chosen to cut business support compared with what was available earlier this year.

Government planning reforms further threaten the viability of our high streets and lack of funding for councils also leaves them less able to support the economic recovery in our high streets.

People want their high streets to be vibrant, lively and thriving places that they can feel proud of.

The High Streets of the future need to be re-imagined and the Government must be at the forefront of the response and work with local authorities and businesses to develop the High Street in towns across the country.