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22
May 2020
Last Updated: 21/05/2020
Teachers' union warns opening Harrogate schools will be a 'nightmare'
A local representative from teachers' union, the NASUWT, warns that reopening schools is a logistical nightmare. Sharon Calvert says government guidance is as "clear as mud" and that schools should only open when it is safe.
It will be a while until classrooms are full again, but teaching staff are preparing for pupils to enjoy a safe return in September.
The NASUWT teachers' union representative in Harrogate has warned that reopening schools will be a logistical nightmare.
Sharon Calvert, who has decades of experience in teaching, said the local teachers she represents are very worried about plans to welcome back some classes from June 1.
"These young children will not keep their social distancing, The first thing they will want to do is run inside and hug their teacher, it will be impossible to keep apart. The headteachers I know are mortified about these plans," she told the Stray Ferret.
She believes that schools should not be given any deadline to reopen. Instead, she says that they should only open when it is clear that it is safe.
Sharon said the guidance from the government is as "clear as mud."
"This is very serious, it is like we are being asked to send our children over the top. The children don't seem to be affected quite as badly but the children could take that home to someone who is vulnerable. The teachers are just as worried about spreading it to their families."
What are schools planning?
North Yorkshire County Council has said it will leave individual schools in the Harrogate district to decide whether it is safe for them to reopen, as previously reported.
Each school will need to take a risk assessment and the council has said it will give them support and advice.
That leaves it up to headteachers across the Harrogate district to decide when they will reopen and how teaching will work with social distancing.
One primary school, Saltergate, in Harrogate has said when it opens it will try to replicate the system in Denmark. The school sent a notice to parents to say they will keep groups of around seven children in "protective bubbles."
They will also keep social distancing to the best of their ability, focus on regular handwashing, and introduce staggered start and finish times.
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