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Michael Jones County Councillor 26 Teesdale Southgate & Gossops Green Southgate Electoral Division West T: 07500 790147 RH11 8QW [email protected] www.westsussex.gov.uk

Mr Nigel Jupp, Cabinet Member for Education, County Council

22 May 2020

BY EMAIL

Dear Nigel,

Government’s plans to increase number of pupils in schools on 1 June

We write concerning the Government’s plan to increase pupil numbers on 1 June and the threat this plan poses to the health and safety of pupils, parents, staff and our wider community.

As local Labour councillors here in West Sussex, we have considerable concerns over an unsafe increase in pupil numbers on 1 June. We believe the Government must ensure safe conditions for a return to schools, based on the principles and tests set out by education unions representing support staff, teachers and head teachers. The Government has, however, failed to meet these principles and its own five key tests; meaning a safe increase in pupils on 1 June is not possible.

We are clear that the current situation is not the fault of the council or your leadership as Cabinet member. However, we do believe you have a responsibility to speak out to ensure the safety of all those who work in our schools, pupils and the wider community, as some other education authorities have done. At least 18 other local education authorities have done so. Examples include Liverpool, Birmingham, Solihull, Essex, and to name but a few and a list growing day by day.

The Government guidance for introducing children in a safe environment includes suggestions to implement social distancing. These include reducing class sizes, up to groups of 15 children. In reality, most schools struggle to fit more than 10 to 12 children in their classrooms with the recommended distance between them, and there is no support provided on where schools should find the additional teachers or classroom space required to teach the other groups. Similar points apply around increasing the amount of handwashing – for younger children in particular, they will need supervision during this time, and many schools don’t have a plethora of sinks/bathrooms available to quickly process multiple classes.

The Government’s overview of the scientific advice that was published on Friday 15th May does not confirm to any degree of confidence that children transmit the virus any less than adults, just that they are less likely to become seriously unwell from it. There is no reference to the potential impact of teaching and non-teaching staff in the school environment, a particular concern given that it effectively confirms that children can be asymptomatic carriers.

Building on this point, the likelihood of children being able to effectively social distance is very low, and further compounds the issue of refusal to recommend PPE interventions, such as masks.

Current proposals to substantially expand primary school opening from 1 June therefore present an unacceptable risk in our view. School staff will not be protected by social distancing rules nor, in most cases, will they be offered any personal protective equipment (PPE). The Government needs to step back from 1 June and work to create the conditions for a safe return to schools based on the principles and five tests set out below:

• Safety and welfare of pupils and staff as the paramount principle.

• No increase in pupil numbers until full rollout of a national test and trace scheme.

• A national Covid-19 education taskforce with Government, unions and education stakeholders to agree statutory guidance for the safe reopening of schools.

• Consideration of the specific needs of vulnerable students and families facing economic disadvantage.

• Additional resources for enhanced school cleaning, PPE and risk assessments.

• Local autonomy to close schools where testing indicates clusters of new Covid-19 cases.

The Department for Education has confirmed that 1 June is an “aspiration” and not a statutory direction. This in itself is not sufficient though to prevent a damaging and premature return to school.

We therefore call on you to make public these concerns and to write to Head teachers of our local authority maintained schools and also those Multi Academy Trusts in West Sussex to set out that you do not believe the artificial 1 June deadline for re-opening schools is one you as Cabinet member expect schools to adhere to when it will be to the detriment of public safety and public health objectives.

The Government have said that they are open to changing the plan, if evidence suggests that that is what would be best. There is a strong body of expert opinion that schools should not open until there is a robust test/trace/isolate/support strategy in place within our local communities.

The teaching unions, and now the British Medical Association, have strongly stated that they oppose the Government’s plan.

We ask you, on behalf of everyone in our community, especially school staff and children and their families, to urge the Government to think again and to oppose the opening of West Sussex schools until things are known for certain to be much safer.

This letter has been sent by many Labour councillors from across West Sussex, those who have indicated their support for this letter we are sending you, are listed below.

Yours sincerely,

Cllr Michael Jones Southgate and Gossops Green West Sussex Labour Group Leader

Cllr Peter Lamb Northgate and West Green Crawley Borough Council Leader

As well as the following Labour councillors:

Cllr Karen Sudan, West Sussex County Council Cllr Chris Oxlade, West Sussex County Council Cllr Brian Quinn, West Sussex County Council Cllr Brenda Smith, West Sussex County Council Cllr Marion Ayling, Crawley Borough Council Cllr Rory Fiveash, Crawley Borough Council Cllr Morgan Flack, Crawley Borough Council Cllr Jilly Hart, Crawley Borough Council Cllr Ian Irvine, Crawley Borough Council Cllr Gurinder Jhans, Crawley Borough Council Cllr Tim Lunnon, Crawley Borough Council Cllr Shahzad Malik, Crawley Borough Council Cllr Chris Mullins, Crawley Borough Council Cllr Tom McAleney, Crawley Borough Council Cllr Mike Pickett, Crawley Borough Council Cllr Tahira Rana, Crawley Borough Council Cllr Raj Sharma, Crawley Borough Council Cllr Peter Smith, Crawley Borough Council Cllr Catherine Arnold, Council Cllr David Balfe, Adur District Council Cllr Lee Cowen, Adur District Council Cllr Lavinia O’Connor, Adur District Council Cllr Debs Stainforth, Adur District Council Cllr Sami Zeglam, Adur District Council Cllr Mike Northeast, Council Cllr Alison Sharples, Town Council Cllr Kevin Hughes, District Council Cllr Sarah Lishman, Council Cllr Freddie Tandy, Town Council Cllr Mike Barrett, Borough Council Cllr Henna Chowdhury, Cllr Beccy Cooper, Worthing Borough Council Cllr Jim Deen, Worthing Borough Council Cllr Margaret Howard, Worthing Borough Council Cllr Richard Mulholland, Worthing Borough Council Cllr Helen Silman, Worthing Borough Council Cllr Dawn Smith, Worthing Borough Council Cllr Sally Smith, Worthing Borough Council Cllr Carl Walker, Worthing Borough Council