Unions warn that moves to tackle Omicron in English schools are not enough for schools

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Last-minute moves to tackle the spread of the variant Omicron Covid in England’s schools, colleges and universities will not be enough to avert disruption or halt widespread absences among staff and students, unions and school leaders have warned.

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced that masks must be worn indoors in education settings in England, including classrooms, libraries and corridors, from the start of the new term until the end of January.

It also said it has ordered 7,000 air purifiers in nurseries, schools and colleges, “for areas where quick fixes to improve ventilation, such as being able to open a window, are not possible.” But the units won’t be delivered until next month.

School staff unions, which have repeatedly called for additional measures, have criticized the government for failing to take action earlier as Covid infections rose rapidly among students and staff.

“We welcome the increased use of face coverings and better ventilation, but this was supposed to be done before Christmas to slow infection in schools,” said John Richard, Unison’s Assistant Secretary-General.

Data from the Office for National Statistics shows school-aged children were among the most vulnerable, with more than one in 20 primary-aged children and one in 35 secondary-aged children testing positive for Covid in December.

Jeff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the biggest challenge for schools is the lack of staff. “While schools and colleges will do their best to minimize the impact on pupils, as they always do, there is a possibility that this means that some classes and annual groups will have to be sent home for short periods of time for distance learning.”

Marie Busted, joint secretary general of the National Education Consortium, said the order for 7,000 purifiers was “totally inadequate” to provide clean air. “The fact that the government has introduced additional scrubbers shows they are acknowledging the problem but with more than 300,000 classrooms in England they have failed to provide an effective solution,” Busted said.

Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT Teaching Consortium, said the government needs to move forward to reduce disruption throughout the school year, including more on-site testing in schools to quickly tackle the outbreak.

“We still need to see a credible, government-funded plan that provides immediate support and resilience to those schools that are short of teachers,” Roach said.

The Inspectorate of Schools in England Ofsted will not inspect secondary schools or colleges in the first week of the term. Existing school leaders who also act as Inspectors for Ofsted will not be required to conduct inspections, while schools affected by the absence of Covid staff must request that inspection visits be postponed.

The DfE said the mask advice for students in grades seven and above will remain until January 26, when it will be reviewed along with other mitigation measures. The advice also applies to providers of higher education and further education such as colleges and universities.

The advice is that the masks be worn in classrooms, hallways and other public areas inside the home but do not need to be worn outdoors or during ‘exercise or strenuous activity’ such as physical education classes. In elementary schools, the Department of Education’s current advice is that masks should be worn by staff only in corridors and public areas.

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