10 August 2020 | UK NEWS
The Prime Minister has said that there is a “moral duty” to get children back to school in September.
In a column for the Mail on Sunday yesterday, Boris Johnson wrote that it was a “priority” to ensure that children started school next month after their lack of education the past few months, with some being out of school since March.
It was suggested that it is of great importance to the Cabinet that schools remain open, considering the gaps in education caused by the virus. We understand there have been reports that a failure to reopen schools in September would result in the dismissal of Education Secretary Gavin Williamson.
A Downing Street source also said it was Johnson’s view that the mental health effects and educational risks of schools remaining closed were more damaging than the virus itself. According to this source, schools would be the last sector to close should any lockdowns be reintroduced.
Mr Johnson wrote in the column: “This pandemic isn’t over, and the last thing any of us can afford to do is become complacent. But now that we know enough to reopen schools to all pupils safely, we have a moral duty to do so.”
The Prime Minister also highlighted the “spiralling economic costs” of parents and carers being unable to work.
He went on to write: “Keeping our schools closed a moment longer than absolutely necessary is socially intolerable, economically unsustainable and morally indefensible.”
There has been a push from the teaching unions to stop this move from the Government, with some even threatening to stop schools from opening.
Dr Mary Bousted, the head of the National Education Union (NEU), said during a Zoom meeting: “The Government’s making threatening noises about that. But in the end, they won’t be able to carry out their threats.”
The Education Secretary has branded Dr Bousted’s organisation the “No Education Union” over their reluctance to reopen schools.
