Confidence in sending children to school during lockdown might be misplaced warns Leeds headteacher

More than a third of school leaders say they had 31 per cent or more of their normal roll attend school in person on Thursday, according to a poll by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT). One in ten heads say they had 41-60 per cent of their pupils come into school amid the new lockdown, the figures suggest.

In Leeds there have been pleas from unions and the local authority for parents to only send their children to the classroom if absolutely necessary and to have patience with schools.

It comes as one headteacher admitted he had had to decline places because he didn't think the parents were key-workers or following the guidelines.

At Morley Newlands Academy there are almost six times the number of children attending compared to the March lockdown last year. Principal, Matthew Fitzpatrick, says the school is at the "top end" of numbers it can safely accommodate with the staff that it has.

He told the Yorkshire Evening Post: "We are at the point where we are at the top end of what we can accommodate for school to be safe. I have had conversations to request children remain at home because we don’t believe they are critical workers or follow the guidelines."

“With the first lockdown in March, we were open to 20 children across all year groups and we have 700 children. That was a really small percentage and when society was closed up. Now we have 100 every day, that can peak to 140 on some days over the past week. 110 was the quietest day but that is a fifth of children overall."

Contributing factors to the high numbers, he said, were the broadening of terms by the government of what defined key or critical workers - and that the definition of vulnerable workers had been opened up to include children who didn't have the technology and equipment to learn at home.

Parents this time are also more willing to put children into school despite the pandemic and go out to work.

Mr Fitzpatrick added: "Last year it was stepping into the unknown. This time there may be a stronger resolve, people are happy to send children to school and carry out their roles in employment but the reality is, this new strain seems to be more aggressive and that confidence might be misplaced.

"For society to function in a basic sense, some services and food supplies need to continue and schools have a huge role to play in that. But look at the science, if we fill schools in bigger numbers, and we have seen the last two times, there follows a spike. Schools are potentially incubators of the virus and how it spreads, that is why we have got to be looked after as a profession and make sure that teachers and colleagues are not put in peril. There is a balance to be struck by the government, there is a potential that has not been met yet."

Coun Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council's Executive Member for Learning, Skills, Employment & Equality, said: "There has been a huge problem with the government broadening the definition, particularly for vulnerable children, if they don't have a laptop or device. It is great that they can recognise the importance of digital exclusion but this is the government that was slashing laptop provision.

"It is mixed messages and no real planning. The guidance for schools changes every few hours. Every school has different circumstances and members of staff. We are asking parents tyo have patients with schools and listen to what heads are saying. We hope families and schools can work together."

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