UK schools are still open amid the coronavirus scare. School heads and leaders are urging the government to reconsider this decision as it may put these students in danger.
Coronavirus scare is causing jitters among school administration, students and parents. Concerns about whether these schools are providing safe environments for learning and free of the danger of being infected is lingering on peoples mind. However, these concerns have not moved a needle on the government’s insistence that schools should remain open.
UK schools remain open
Leaders of the two main UK school heads organizations are now speaking out and voicing their concerns about the matter. They argue that there is already a shortage of staff to serve these schools and they are exposed to the virus. The leaders have said things are difficult and the situation requires the government to take action to protect both students and staff.
The leaders met with the Education Secretary Gavin Williamson late on Monday to express their concern about the situation.
Geoff Barton and Paul Whiteman, the two UK school heads leaders, in a joint statement said they would keep working with the government to find a solution. They said they had expressed their concerns to the secretary and they would support the government in this difficult time.
Coronavirus concerns
However, they indicated that the issue of schools remaining open was still huge and needed to be addressed. They argued that some of the school staff were already in self-isolation due to the virus. This made the situation in schools worse because there were not enough staff to cater for the students. Therefore, the students did not receive the maximum care they required.
The issue of students with special needs was also addressed in the joint statement. The leaders expressed concerns about the handling of these students by UK schools, especially in this pandemic. The concerns were on whether they were being neglected and if things could have been done differently.
Students from vulnerable families are still dependent on free schools and meals and closure could affect them. The joint statement took note of these students and urged the government also to consider them when making these decisions.
The UK government has taken a different approach from their peers, such as the US and Italy. UK schools are still open and learning is continuing as usual with no plan in sight of shutting them down. This is not the case in the US and Italy, where lockdowns have been implemented to try and control the spread of the Coronavirus.
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