LGA RESPONDS TO THE GOVERNMENT’S RETURN TO SCHOOL PLAN

Responding to the Government’s plans for all children and staff to return to school as normal from September, Cllr Teresa Heritage, Vice Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, said:

“The Government’s guidance provides schools and councils with a framework to reopen schools safely from September, but they will now need the space and time to work locally to draw up detailed plans.

“Councils want all children to return to school to continue with their education and we also want to work with the Government, education leaders and schools to make sure the national effort is a success.

“It is therefore vitally important that the Department for Education provides the reassurance that parents need to send children back to school, and remains in dialogue with school leaders to tackle outstanding issues, such as the provision of home-to-school transport and sanctions for non-attendance, and work with schools and parents to secure full attendance in September.

“Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, we have shown that by working together we can achieve the best outcomes for our communities. As we look to return to normal, councils want to continue working closely with the Government and local partners to address practical issues and to provide any necessary resources.

“Councils can play a key role in the Government’s Test and Trace programme and it is therefore important to give councils the powers to manage outbreaks in schools if new COVID-19 clusters emerge.”