Coronavirus: Government facing mounting anger over decision not to close schools

The government is facing rising anger over Boris Johnson’s decision to keep schools open amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The prime minister’s spokesperson said the scientific advice was that school closures were not a step the government should be taking at this time.

However, concerned parents have been keeping their children at home and complaining other countries were doing more to stop the spread of Covid-19.

The hashtags #Covid19Walkout and #CloseTheSchoolsNow were both trending on Twitter on Monday, with pupils posting photos of densely packed school corridors and saying it was impossible for follow guidance on social distancing.

A petition on parliament’s website calling on the government to close schools and colleges has been signed more than 590,000 times. Any petition with more than 100,000 signatures must be considered for parliamentary debate.

“@BorisJohnson it’s time to act!” a Twitter user called Charlotte said in one of many tweets directed at the prime minister. “We need you to take action to SAVE LIVES! Why are we the only country not doing anything? This is so frustrating.”

School representatives are due to meet with the education secretary to discuss the implications of closing schools and postponing exams on Monday.

Gavin Williamson is expected to meet representatives from the NAHT school leaders’ union, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and the Confederation of School Trusts (CST).

More than 1,500 confirmed coronavirus cases have been reported in the UK, along with 55 deaths.

The figures are lower than in Italy, Spain and France, where schools have been shut.

Ahead of the meeting, Leora Cruddas, chief executive officer of CST, said teachers are working in “extremely challenging circumstances” during a “very fluid situation”.

“It is important to understand that all the big decisions about school closures, exams and the suspension of inspections can only be made by the government,” she said.

“These are not decisions that regulators can make independently.

“CST’s top priorities, in addition to seeking clarity on these big decisions, will be about the arrangements for safeguarding and welfare of our children and young people, and in particular the most vulnerable.”

Geoff Barton, general secretary of ASCL, said he would be raising the challenges of keeping schools open amid staff shortages, and the potential for disruption during exam season, with the education secretary.

He said: “We aim to work through these issues in order to arrive at constructive solutions about the way ahead.

“School and college leaders are showing calm and assured leadership in these difficult times and we can reassure the public that everything that can be done to support young people will be done.”

Ahead of the meeting, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of NAHT, said although teachers were concerned about the impact on exams and assessments, the “main priority” was keeping children safe.

“Vulnerable children and families are uppermost in our minds,” he said.

“For some children a day at school is a place of sanctuary and nourishment as well as a place of education.

“Once the immediate issues are under control I am confident that school leaders and their teams will do all that they can to support children and young people throughout the remainder of the crisis.”

The meeting comes after the largest education union in Europe wrote to the prime minister asking for full disclosure over his decision not to shut schools.

The letter, from the National Education Union, asked why the government is not closing schools in the same way as other countries, particularly now plans are under way to ban mass gatherings.

On Thursday, Mr Johnson said closures now could do “more harm than good”, hours after Ireland announced that schools and colleges would close for a fortnight.

Additional reporting by agencies