Back to school row: Councillors at odds over Leeds pupil return in September

Leeds councillors have clashed over the potential re-opening of Leeds schools in September.
File picture.File picture.
File picture.

The city's schools should all be back open straight after the summer holidays to stop pupils "falling behind", according to local Tories.

They accused the council's controlling Labour group of failing to show leadership during the pandemic, after the authority said individual head teachers could decide whether or not to welcome students back at the start of June.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Labour indicated it wanted the government to set up a "co-ordinated national plan" to get children back to school.

But the party's councillors also said they wanted to give local schools flexibility to continue online learning, particularly in places where pupils may be unable to keep a safe distance from each other.

Speaking about the issue at an online meeting on Wednesday, Green Party councillor Ann Forsaith said that principals, teaching unions and parents had all "expressed deep concerns" ahead of the government's proposed reopening date of June 1.

She added: "If some schools go back in September with 30 children in classrooms, albeit in bubbles, there will be no social distancing and the chances are there will be a second wave much worse than the first.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"Education doesn't just have to be in school, other community facilities could be used.

"Our schools have already gone above and beyond what was expected of them and they now face the prospect of having to carry out more risk assessments."

But the Conservatives claimed Leeds pupils were "falling behind the rest of Europe" because of the council's approach.

Coun Dan Cohen said: "We want our young people back in school in September.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"We appreciate you don't have all the levers, but you have influence.

"Instead of focusing on what you can't do, it's really time this administration started focusing on what it can do.

"I appreciate that may be harder than blaming the Government, but it's what's needed and what people in this city expect to happen."

The meeting was the very first of its kind to be held virtually by Leeds City Council.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But technical problems caused severe disruption as almost all of the city's 99 elected members tried to tune in on Wednesday afternoon, prompting a delay of around three-and-a-half hours before proceedings got underway.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.