South Tyneside Council chiefs back parents and headteachers amid concerns over schools reopening

The Government has set itself a target of seeing schools partially reopened for pupils in nursery, reception, year one and year six from June 1 ‘at the earliest’.

Education chiefs in South Tyneside say they have concerns about the plans and have called for the June 1 date to be pushed back.

They have also said they will back headteachers concerns about Covid-19, pushing only for a 'phased reopening' when they feel it is safe to do so.

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If individual schools want to reopen, tests will be carried out to decide if pupils can return safely.

And no parents will be penalised if they choose not to return their children to school, council chiefs have confirmed.

“The safety of our young people and teaching communities is our number one priority," Cabinet member for Children, Young People and Families, Coun Moira Smith, said.

“Ultimately it is a decision for the school governing body to determine whether they wish to reopen their school, not the council, but we will work closely with our family of schools to support them in undertaking the necessary risk assessments prior to any decisions being taken.

"We appreciate the Government's ambitions are to expand the number of schools opening from June 1.

“South Tyneside Council would prefer that the Government delayed this until even later, particularly given the current rate of infection in the North East of England.

“We are supporting our schools and trade unions toward a phased expansion of schools opening. However, we expect that this will not be possible for all schools from June 1.

"Each school will have its own set of challenges and we understand that parents and carers will have considerations of their own.

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“We will fully support their judgement and will also respect decisions made by parents and carers.”

Coun Smith went on to say: “The council is supporting schools to carry out risk assessments to ensure that the risks associated with the virus are reduced as much as is humanly possible.

"Governors are looking into how social distancing can be maintained in schools and are considering classroom reconfiguration and smaller class sizes.

"For many schools classes may be as small as seven or eight pupils. Groups of children and staff will remain together all day in social ‘bubbles’ and will not come into contact with other children or staff.

“I would like to reassure parents and carers that we will only support welcoming more children back into the classroom if the Government’s five tests are met and the schools’ risk assessments show that absolutely everything has been done to keep children and staff safe."

Official figures on the coronavirus outbreak have suggested the North East has the highest infection rate compared to any other part of the country.

Throughout the coronavirus lockdown, South Tyneside schools have remained open for the children of key workers, as well as other select groups.

Government proposals to begin restarting lessons from June have sparked a mixed response from headteachers, unions and political leaders, with some in favour and others fearing Covid-19 infection rates mean it is not yet safe.

Some areas, such as Hartlepool, have said they will not reopen schools on June 1 blaming a continuing rise in infections.

In South Tyneside, the council has promised to consider the circumstances of every school in exploring if children can safely return to lessons.

The situation was also discussed by South Tyneside Council's decision-making cabinet on Wednesday May 20.

Council leader Iain Malcolm confirmed school governing bodies would be meeting to discuss plans around taking on more pupils.

He added the council has obligations to make sure staff, children and buildings are safe and has existing powers, pre-dating Covid-19, to force the closure of schools if required.

"School governing bodies will be meeting virtually to make a decision and receive a report from their respective headteachers and make an informed decision as to whether or not they wish to reopen their school," Coun Malcolm said.

"South Tyneside Council will support any school that decides that they want to be in the process of reopening fully.

"At the same time, we will support any school which does not feel, at this moment in time, that they can reopen their school to pupils and wider staff.

"Ultimately the parents will make a decision as to whether or not they send their children to a school and we will respect their decision as well."

Further information on school plans will be sent to all parents and carers this week advising them of the options available.

Details have been published on South Tyneside Council’s website: www.southtyneside.gov.uk/article/69695/Phased-reopening-of-schools

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