COUNCIL chiefs have said it is 'vitally important' schools stay open – although concerns remain from education unions as the country heads into lockdown.

St Helens Borough Council has today published an open letter to all pupils, parents and carers, school staff and governors following the decision to plunge the country into another national lockdown.

Following the announcement, the National Education Union has launched a campaign calling for schools and colleges to be included in the lockdown to protect the safety of staff, pupils and their families.

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However, in St Helens, the local authority said it has had “strong and clear advice” from its director of public health, Sue Forster, that closing schools poses a “much greater risk” to children’s long-term welfare than Covid-19.

The open letter, which has been signed by Jim Leivers director of young people and children’s services, and two Labour cabinet members, says: “Every school in our borough has worked tirelessly to keep children and young people safe in education throughout the period of the Covid pandemic.

“Schools remained open during the first national lockdown for vulnerable children and those of key workers, and since September they have worked tirelessly to open fully, as safely as possible, for the benefit of all pupils, staff and the wider community.

“This has not been easy and has required a huge commitment from all those involved, and they must be commended for their commitment and loyalty to maintaining ongoing learning for children.

“Headteachers, school staff and the council have worked together to ensure our schools continue to deliver high-quality learning experiences in these unprecedented times.

“Where a positive case has been identified in a pupil or member of school staff, swift action has been taken to identify close contacts and ask them to self-isolate.

“All of the national and local evidence, including the strong and clear advice of our director of public health, tells us that it is better for children to remain in schools and there is a much greater risk to their long term welfare if they are unable to do so.

“Our children and young people have already lost so much learning and social contact this year, and for their sake it is vitally important that wherever possible we continue to keep our schools open.”

The National Education Union’s analysis of data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggests infection levels in primary schools are nine times higher than they were when term started in September.

In secondary schools, they are 50 times higher.

The union’s general secretary, Kevin Courtney, said it would be “self-defeating” for the government to impose a national lockdown while ignoring the role of schools as a “major contributor” to the spread of Covid-19.

He said this would be likely to lead to the need for even longer lockdowns in the future.

The National Education Union said schools should remain open to the children of key workers and vulnerable children during such a general closure period.

However, the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), has backed the decision to keep schools open for all pupils.

They said it is right to prioritise keeping pupils in schools, but has called for greater transparency over the risks.

But the headteachers’ union said they are particularly concerned that there is “considerable ambiguity” about whether it is safe for those who are clinically or extremely vulnerable to continue to work in a school.

They have asked the government for clear guidance on what additional measures schools may have to take in order to keep everyone safe.

“We believe that it is right to prioritise keeping pupils in school but it has be safe for staff and pupils,” said Andy Howard, secretary of the St Helens branch of the NAHT.

“The government must be wholly transparent about the risks to children, families and school staff and give clear guidance on what additional safety measures schools may have to take.

“The government must stop any performance tables from statutory tests and stop any form of formal inspection by Ofsted during this academic year.

“Additionally we need the government to meet in full the costs of Covid safety measures.

“If it is a lockdown but not for schools, I hope the explanation we need to give to staff is given clearly tonight with data to back it up.

“In St Helens I hope the unions continue to work with heads and not just blame us as in some other authorities where they were telling their members to not cooperate last time.”

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St Helens Borough Council said it will continue to support headteachers, governors and trade union officials to help make schools “as safe as possible”.

The council’s open letter said: “We support calls for additional Covid funding for schools in areas with high rates of infection to support them with the additional costs of PPE, cleaning and supply staff, and to provide effective remote and catch-up learning.

“The council will continue to support headteachers, governors and our colleagues in the trade unions to help make school environments as safe as possible, ensuring that our children can continue to access quality education.”