By Sheila Mckenzie-
Calls for a track and trace system before schools can reopen, are complicating plans to return children to school to learn.
Ministers at yesterday’s Downing Street briefing have been advised that changes to lockdown, including the reopening of schools, would need a “highly-effective” track and trace system to be in place.
The British government has been developing a “test, track and trace” strategy to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
The government ‘s smartphone tracing app has been delayed and unlikely to be ready before primary schools are set to open to pupils to three year groups on 1 June. Union leaders and government scientists are insisting that the app is ready before pupils are sent back to schools..
This is despite the fact the known fact that children are less likely to catch or spread the coronavirus.
School leaders are still worried enough about the risk of Covid-19 related infections spreading in school settings that they want to see some precautionary measures put in place. Their concerns are shared by government scientists who may simply be airing on the side of caution on behalf of school pupils.
Keeping pupils absolutely safe is a priority for policy makers, but the mechanism for ensuring that could mean a delay for returning pupils to schools unless the track and trace system can be prepared on time.
The British Governmet’s deputy chief scientific adviser, Professor Dame Angela McLean, told Downing Street’s press briefings that “Scientists have been clear in our advice that changes to lockdown as we modelled them need a highly effective track, trace and isolate system to be in place.”
Ministers want pupils in reception, year 1 and year 6 to return to schools from June 1, but teaching unions are worried that it is unsafe for pupils to return too early for schools.
Pensions secretary Thérèse Coffey said yesterday that the app would be ready in the “coming weeks” and that no condition had been set for it to be established before primary pupils return.
“And we were also very clear that changes to social distancing measures should be based on observed levels of incidence in places that there’s going to be change, not on a fixed date”.
The importance of returning children to school is unarguable.
Despite access to online teaching for pupils and greater access to laptops, the reality is that most pupils at home are just playing and watching television.
Only pupils from academic backgrounds with motivated parents are learning anything at home.
Keeping pupils safe is important, but there hasn’t been much evidence that they are likely to catch or spread anything.
Maintaining social distancing in schools will be very difficult, but school authorities can start by limiting their time playing together outside the classroom.
Pupils whose parents do not want their children to return to school can also keep them at home if they will ensure private teaching for them, and this will make class size smaller, making social distancing more effective and learning more effective.