Alison Mackenzie: The big test for the big schools return

Credit: ITV News Central

Parents may be feeling a great sense of relief as children begin the big return to lessons - but so much is riding on this it may be a little premature to fully relax.Will the return lead to a spike in infections? Will the testing regime be manageable and effective?

The Prime Minister has consistently said that releasing all schools from lockdown is a top priority - but for secondary pupils it’s likely to be more of a staggered affair than first suggested.

It will take a while to get every pupil Covid tested three times so it may be a fortnight before every year group is back.There are fresh challenges for all schools to contend with - the wearing of face masks is now recommended in lessons as well as in corridors for secondary pupils where social distancing cannot be guaranteed. 

Hand sanitiser and access to hand washing facilities are required and who will keep a check on the testing regime once responsibility switches to parents?What should happen if community infection rates rise as a result of the return?

Posters are being placed in classrooms to remind children to use hand sanitisers and social distance. Credit: ITV News Central

We know that schools have been described as ‘vectors of transmission’ and a full rollout of the vaccine in the Midlands is still some way off. It will be watched closely.This week is a big test too for the stewardship of the Education Secretary Gavin Williamson. 

The South Staffordshire MP has acknowledged that there are ‘mixed feelings’ about whether this is the right time for schools to return - but get this wrong and it could be as painful for him as last summer’s row over algorithms.I think the words of one primary head I spoke to in Wolverhampton this week sum it up. Hayley Guest of East Park Academy said “the challenge is not ‘how’ to reopen on March 8th - the challenge is how to be able to ‘stay open.’“

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