Covid - Support staff unions letter to all heads in England plus new FAQS

14/12/2020

Further to discussions at the schools committee UNISON, and the other support staff unions, are today writting to over 20,000 headteachers in England to raise our concerns about the quality of advice given by the DfE's COVID helpline.  Jon Richards, UNISON Head of Education has also written to the DfE. 

See letter: http://msg.unison.org.uk/q/121fBGwzNyGYs3X7G9HZ/wv

Our concern is that the advice from the helpline, along with wider pressure being applied by Government and Regional Schools Commissioners on schools to stay open, is aimed at pushing leaders to isolate as few staff and pupils as possible when there are positive cases.  With the risks of airborne transmission, we have called on schools to take the safest approach by isolating on a much wider basis than just ‘close contacts’. Instead we are asking schools to look at isolating whole class/bubbles as before.

Finally we have also produced a new set of FAQs relating to the government’s announcement on INSET day in schools on 18^th December and contact tracing by schools staff – can be found under ‘Christmas’ on FAQs section of the schools page https://www.unison.org.uk/at-work/education-services/key-issues/covid-19-closures/