North Leeds headteacher says students must only go back to school when teachers are vaccinated against Covid

Following reports that schools might not open until after Easter, a North Leeds headteacher has said students must go back to school, but only when teachers are vaccinated.
The headteacher of Allerton Church of England Primary School in Alwoodley, Leeds has said it is vital to get children back to school but it must be safe firstThe headteacher of Allerton Church of England Primary School in Alwoodley, Leeds has said it is vital to get children back to school but it must be safe first
The headteacher of Allerton Church of England Primary School in Alwoodley, Leeds has said it is vital to get children back to school but it must be safe first

The headteacher of Allerton Church of England Primary School in Alwoodley, Leeds has said she doesn't think schools will go back "for weeks" amid fears of a lost generation of school pupils.

Helen Stott said that although it is vital to get students back into the classroom, it must be safe first.

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Setting out England’s fresh lockdown measures at the beginning of January, Boris Johnson made it clear that he hoped schools would reopen after the February half term.

However, according to The Sunday Times, this week Education Secretary Gavin Williamson is set to rule out children going back to classrooms after the February holiday.

And speaking to Sky News, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was not sure whether pupils in England would fully return to the classroom by Easter.

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Mrs Stott thinks parents are facing many challenges at the moment but are clearly doing the very best for their children, as with the “amazing” teachers who are “working flat out” to support them by making phone calls and dropping off food, but the current setup is not a long-term substitute for being in school.

She said: “The previous lockdown felt quite different to this one.

"We’re having to deliver remote learning and parents are working from home.

"They might have multiple children and not enough devices.”

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Despite this, she said it was pointless to send students back when it’s not safe, and teachers must be vaccinated beforehand so the disruptive lockdown cycle does not continue.

She added: “We want children back in school.

"What we don’t want is children back in school and then another national lockdown.

“I just think, are we really writing off a whole generation of children by keeping them all back?

“Those children are still getting ready for their next stage of learning.

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“I don’t think it would necessarily be a good thing for children’s mental health.”

The Children's Commissioner for England, Leeds-based Anne Longfield, has piled pressure on the government to reopen schools sooner, citing the mental health of pupils.

And, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said teachers have a “good shout” of being high up the coronavirus vaccine priority list as it is important to "break the chains of transmission".

Mrs Stott also said that a return to school is critical because children should be able to be with their teachers and play with friends without thinking about Covid all the time, and there should be proper consultation with school leaders and local authorities on how to make this happen safely.

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New reports by Ofsted have highlighted that the disruption to schools is now being seen in the progress of pupils and the education examining body is undertaking remote visits to 1200 schools across the UK in cities, rural or coastal communities and which have a range of Ofsted grades.

The visits have been deemed a fact-finding exercise to see what issues schools are seeing as a result of remote and reduced learning and to help shape future policy.

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