Union must wait for decisions about safety measures in schools next term

Friday 17 December 2021

The Committee for Education, Sport & Culture is rejecting calls by one of the island's largest teachers' unions to make an immediate announcement about additional safety measures which the union want in place before staff and students return in the New Year.

The NASUWT union supports the Committee's decision to end the autumn term today - five days earlier than originally planned - but wants the Committee to agree a raft of changes well in advance of schools reopening in the first week of January.

The measures requested by the NASWUT include:

• staggering the return of pupils at the start of January;
• providing onsite testing facilities for pupils for the first half-term of 2022;
• publishing further guidance advising schools to update risk assessments in light of omicron; and
• publishing further guidance advising schools to cancel or postpone non-essential activities, move meetings with parents online and allow staff to work from home where appropriate.

"The NASUWT believes that these measures, together with wider States' measures, including on vaccinations, are proportionate and responsible and will contribute to our shared aim of minimising further disruption to children’s education," said Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of the union.

Pictured: Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of the NASUWT union, has asked the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture to provide assurances now about additional safety measures which the union want to see in schools from the start of next term.

But the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture said last night that it "will not make hasty decisions at this stage without evidence that will be gathered during the Christmas period". 

"It is important for all involved in the delivery of education to understand that the focus will be on minimising any disruption as the community must collectively continue living responsibly with covid-19, which now includes the new variant," said the Committee. 

"We must find a way to manage the implications of an expected increase in cases as a result of omicron in such a way that allows education to continue."

The President of the Committee, Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, said she was "surprised" by the NASUWT's call for testing facilities in schools.

"It would almost certainly require the NASUWT’s members along with other teaching staff to monitor onsite lateral flow testing of students, including disposal of test results, and the Committee considers this would increase the level of exposure risk for staff. It is unclear from the NASUWT’s letter whether they have asked their members about this recommendation," said Deputy Dudley-Owen.

Pictured: The President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture, Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, said that her Committee would consider evidence over the Christmas holidays and discuss that evidence with public health officials before deciding on any additional safety measures in schools for when the new term starts in January. 

She did not rule out staggering students' return to school in January but said it would be premature to make such a decision before the Christmas and New Year holidays.

"Any decision to stagger the return of students to education settings requires us to balance any potential public health-related benefits of doing so against further disruption to the delivery of education," said Deputy Dudley-Owen.

"Should our dialogue with public health colleagues indicate benefits that outweigh the disruption to students' education, which would only compound earlier pandemic-related disruptions, we will of course carefully consider that advice.

"This is a rapidly evolving situation and we do not intend to take a hasty decision at this stage without evidence that will be gathered during the Christmas period."

The Committee and the NASUWT clashed last month over covid-19 in schools. The union claimed that safety measures in schools were inadequate and therefore the Committee was placing the welfare of staff and students at risk. Deputy Dudley-Owen responded by accusing the union of being "deliberately inflammatory" and making claims which were "fundamentally inaccurate".