Like all schools, we await government announcements as to what can happen in relation to the wider opening of schools on 8th March and beyond.
Inevitably, there has been a great deal of speculation about how, when and in what ways this might or should happen. The debate was enlivened further by the recent announcement in Scotland that some of its younger children would be returning to school after half term on 22nd February. All schools want to see their children back in classrooms as soon as possible. We would all acknowledge that this is highly desirable for a range of important reasons including, of course, children’s education and wellbeing, but it should not be done at the risk of public health or prolonging the coronavirus pandemic and its effects. We hope that the decision as to when schools can open more widely again in England is driven by safety and public health rather than political or other considerations. It is hoped that, as schools return this time, there will be no more blanket restrictions on schools as they and wider society steadily return to a sustainable post-COVID reality. The case for closing schools in January other than to the children of key workers and those deemed vulnerable was not because schools themselves are unsafe. Indeed, there is evidence that transmission rates amongst children remain low. The case for closing schools was driven by wider public health considerations. When schools are open, there is a great deal more movement and contact within communities generally. It is this that increases infection rates rather than schools themselves. The key factor in the timing and extent of wider opening must therefore be public health with regard to infection and transmission rates, the number of cases requiring hospital treatment and the consequent demands being placed on the National Health Service. It would seem sensible to open schools on a phased basis and to keep a close and careful eye on the impact this has on transmission and case rates within the wider community. Schools in England should not open to all students at once. If public health allows, my suggestion would be to start with up to and including Year 2 in primary schools and with Years 11 and 13 – who face important assessments this summer – in secondary schools. Within this, headteachers should – through consultation with their local authorities, governors and other relevant bodies – be allowed some discretion on how they operate and to scale back on grounds of safety and public health if they judge it to be in the best interests of their school and local communities. Welcome but overdue is the government’s recognition of the need to give schools a little time to plan major changes in their operation by pledging to give at least two weeks’ notice of wider opening. Of course, more time would be welcome, but this is a fast-moving situation to which everybody needs to be able to respond quickly – particularly where that involves children returning to school. It would also seem sensible that mass testing in schools supports their wider opening. A number of changes in approach to lateral flow testing in schools since it was rolled out in January has left confidence in its effectiveness at a low level. The original announcement that all pupils and staff should be tested twice initially on their return to school, then weekly and, in the case of contact with a positive case in school, serially has been largely abandoned with little real explanation. At the moment, only staff who volunteer are tested up to twice weekly. This offers some reassurance and should eliminate any ‘super spreaders’ amongst staff but doesn’t appear to offer the full benefits of the original plan. Whilst we have continued to maximise our remote provision to support all of our boys’ academic progress and wellbeing during the pandemic, we look forward to the day when all of our boys can return to school with th