Luton MPs urge Government to review opening primary schools in the town

Luton Borough Council and local MPs are asking the government to urgently review opening primary schools in the town.

In a letter to the Education Secretary, they warned there was a huge amount of 'anxiety about the issue.'

A number of primary schools in the region have announced they will not open this week.

The Prime Minister is still urging parents to send children to schools that are open, saying "there is no doubt in my mind that schools are safe."

• Number of primary schools announce they won't re-open this week

On Saturday 3rd of January, the leader of Luton Council, Cllr Hazel Simmons, alongside Luton's two MPs, wrote to the Secretary of State for Education.

The letter requested that urgent reconsideration be given to the national decision that primary schools in Luton should reopen this week.

In a statement, Cllr Hazel Simmons said:

"Whilst all of our schools have excellent Covid control measures in place which has kept our pupils safe and prevented any large outbreaks in our schools since they reopened in September, we recognise that there is some concern within our community, particularly after the government ordered primary schools in some London boroughs with cases lower that Luton to remain closed. "The Government has indicated it will consider our request this week.

"As such, we have written to the headteachers at all Luton's primary schools and council-run early years providers, outlining our full​, based on their individual risk assessments and likely staffing levels given the advice that has been issued to its members by the NEU. We will be working with schools to help them assess their staffing position."

You can read the letter here.

• Teachers fear for safety as some schools inform parents they can't reopen

• Anglia region hits new daily Covid case record

Meanwhile, Norfolk County Council has announced it will support any school leader who makes a decision not to open for the majority of pupils on 4 January 2021, but that each school will be responsible for this decision.

Essex County Council has announced that Primary schools in Colchester, Tendring and Uttlesford will stay closed on Tuesday 5 January while the council seeks urgent clarity from the Department for Education on the current position on Primary schools reopening amid rising Covid-19 infection levels in the area.

Schools in these three districts were the only primary schools in Essex due to re-open, with the rest of the County’s primary schools remaining closed until Monday 18 January.

Pressure is mounting on the government from both sides on whether children in England should return to school as normal following the Christmas holiday amid soaring Covid-19 rates.

The Prime Minister's calls for children to return to school were echoed by Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman who has that children’s education cannot be “furloughed” for months while Covid-19 vaccinations are rolled out and the country waits for coronavirus cases to subside.

Read more using the links below:

• Covid: Ofsted chief urges school return amid warning children's education cannot be 'furloughed'

• Covid: Leading teaching union advises primary school staff not to return to classrooms

• Government faces renewed pressure from teachers over plans to reopen schools