Teachers demand pupils are sprayed with DISINFECTANT as they brand plan to reopen schools from June 1 as ‘reckless’
TEACHERS have demanded children be "sprayed front and back with disinfectant" at the school gates - as they reacted with alarm to the PM's announcement schools could reopen in three weeks.
Last night, Boris Johnson said a phased reopening of schools in England could potentially begin from June 1, if transmission can be reduced.
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As he announced plans to gradually loosen the lockdown, the Prime Minister said by June 1 "we believe we may be in a position to begin the phased reopening of shops and to get primary pupils back into schools, in stages, beginning with reception, Year One and Year Six".
Secondary schools are not likely to open again until at least September, although those facing exams will get some time with their teachers before the summer holidays.
But even this staggered approach caused alarm among school staff, with the leader of the largest teaching union calling it "reckless".
And by lunchtime today, more than 380,000 parents had signed a petition demanding to have the option not to send their kids back to school.
Lucy Browne created the petition within minutes of Mr Johnson's announcement last night and said she fears for her daughter's safety.
It comes as:
- Boris Johnson reveals first careful steps for easing lockdown
- Arrivals at British airports to be forced to quarantine, apart from France and Ireland
- Factory workers and builders were urged to go back to work
- Brits told they can go on day trips using their car
- Dominic Raab this morning contradicted the PM on two key points of guidance
Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the NEU, said: "We think that the announcement by the Government that schools may reopen from June 1 with reception and Years One and Six is nothing short of reckless.
"Coronavirus continues to ravage communities in the UK and the rate of Covid-19 infection is still far too great for the wider opening of our schools."
Dr Bousted added: "In China, children stand outside the school gates and are sprayed front and back with disinfectant, their shoes are sprayed, they wash their hands with sanitiser, they must take off their mask and replace it with a new one, and their temperature is taken remotely."
Asked if a similar regime should be introduced here, she said: "Yes. They're doing that in China and South Korea and they have a minuscule number of new cases."
The NEU said 85 per cent of 49,000 members said they disagreed with plans to restart lessons from June 1, while 92 per cent said they would not feel safe with the proposed wider opening of schools.
Dr Bousted urged the Government to meet five tests set out by teaching unions, which includes extra money for deep cleaning and personal protective equipment and local powers to close schools if clusters of coronavirus infections break out in a particular area.
"If schools are re-opened to blatant breaches of health and safety, we will strongly support our members taking steps to protect their pupils, their colleagues and their families," she added.
"The worst outcome of any wider re-opening of schools is a second spike of Covid-19 infection."
A senior head connected with one of the unions said a lot of staff were anxious.
He said: "If teachers refuse to come in and are not in a vulnerable group then they will have to take unpaid leave, in my view.
"We've got to have staff in to run classes. You can accommodate home working for some jobs, such as admin, but apart from a few roles you have to have teachers there."
The National Association of Head Teachers, whose members are mostly primary heads, said: "There is not a school leader in the land who wants to risk admitting more pupils unless it is perfectly clear that it is safe."
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Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said that "social distancing is extremely difficult" with children in reception and year one.
"We are not trying to impede the reopening of schools," he said.
"Throughout the crisis we have highlighted the importance of bringing in more pupils when the time is right to do so and there is a clear plan in place to manage it safely.
"Unfortunately, we are not persuaded that either of these two simple tests has yet been met."
Union NAHT, which represents leaders in the majority of schools, said the announcement was likely to lead to questions from "anxious parents".
A source close to Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, said teachers and heads had been consulted over the return to school.
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