Our schools are not safe for staff or pupils – trade unions must act

By Jim Halfpenny, EIS joint secretary West Dunbartonshire (personal capacity)

The experiment has begun.

With shameful political expediency the SNP government in Scotland has reopened schools and brought all pupils, teachers and support staff back together in the midst of this pandemic.

While their position is that everyone 12 and over must physically distance from everyone outside their own household for fear of spreading the virus, they enforce the opening of Secondary schools with upwards of 1600 pupils.

According to the National Clinical Director, Jason Leitch, the maximum permitted for people on a day to day basis is eight people from three households, including your own indoors, and 15 people from five households outdoors.

Apparently, however, these rules don’t apply to schools where up to 33 pupils may be in a closed confined classrooms, with as many different households as there are people.

The Scottish Government’s initial “scientific” position was that there was no real evidence that children were significant spreaders of the virus and therefore did not need to socially distance.

In the light of outbreaks of the virus among young people gathering at social events, they adjusted their position on schools to admit that there may be a health and safety issue around older pupils who are effectively young adults. Teachers and school staff were advised to maintain a 2 metre distance with the cynical caveat “if possible”.

This, of course, is an impossibility and leaves staff in a hopeless position, greatly concerned for their own health. Sturgeon and Swinney should join us in the classroom and try to keep their social distance “if possible”.

The reality is that the measures put in place to prevent infection in schools are wholly inadequate and smacks of government and local authorities guessing as to what to do and crossing their fingers.

Clearly it hasn’t worked as reports of the virus outbreaks in schools continue to grow. A school in Dundee has closed for two weeks. Full classes in schools in West Dunbartonshire, Dundee and South Lanarkshire and their teachers and school support staff have been sent home to self isolate causing further difficulties for the working parents of these children and the potential threat to older relatives and those with underlying health conditions.

As the number of teachers and school workers are forced to self isolate this will bring even greater pressure on the viability of keeping many schools open. As school cleaners become infected schools will struggle to maintain a level of cleanliness and safety which is minimal at present.

Larry Flanagan, the General Secretary of the EIS, in a recent communication to the Scottish Government said: “We need the Scottish Government to fund the hiring of the 3,500 teachers identified by the GTCS as willing to aid Education recovery, so that we can reduce class sizes and make possible physical distancing.

“We also need stronger advice on face coverings, where physical distancing is not possible. You cannot visit a museum without one but again schools are different?”

“EIS members supported the decision to reopen schools as we understand the importance of Education to our young people – that does not mean the very real concerns of teachers about school safety should be set aside.”

The potential for a significant increase in infection through crowded classrooms cannot be denied. For this SNP Government, it appears that hope has replaced science and common sense.

Their experiment has begun

Socialist Party Scotland says:

• Lower class sizes are essential to ensure social distancing in schools
• Hire the 3,500 teachers as recommended by the general teaching council to allow this to take place
• Introduce a programme of blended learning to keep pupils and staff safe. All pupils should not be in school at the same time
• Appropriate PPE for staff where required. Face coverings for all pupils in secondary schools
• Daily cleaning of schools and the employment of sufficient cleaning staff to carry this out
• Track and trace is not sufficient, Invest in urgent testing resources for schools and society generally.
• Close schools at an early stage if there are positive cases of Covid-19 among staff and or pupils
• Stop the cuts. Scottish government must fully fund councils to ensure these steps are carried out
• Trade union control and supervision of health and safety in schools
• Organise industrial action ballots to allow for action by teaching and school staff in order to defend safety at work
• Support staff who refuse to work under section 44 of the Employment Support Act