Education: Return in January

Karin Smyth Excerpts

Wednesday 30th December 2020 Commons Chamber

[Gavin Williamson]

I certainly hope that it does give people confidence to know that primary schools in my right hon. Friend’s constituency of Romsey will be opening on Monday, that exam year groups will be returning to secondary school and colleges on 11 January, and that all year groups will be returning shortly after that.

[Karin Smyth (Bristol South) (Lab) [V]]

The Secretary of State has just said that we can be confident about what is happening next week but, frankly, as a parent and as a legislator, I have no confidence in what he has just said. I am none the wiser after his statement, having heard privately from health experts this afternoon. Parents have one question for the Secretary of State: how will we know, when we send our kids back to school this week or the week after, that it is safe to do so?

[Gavin Williamson]

What we have seen consistently since the start of June is that millions of children have safely returned to school thanks to the amazing efforts of so many teaching and support staff to create safe and secure environments for children to learn in and others to work in. We recognise that this new strain means we have to go that bit further—so much further. That is why we are introducing this mass testing scheme, the largest that this country has ever seen, to give parents and those who work in secondary schools extra confidence and belief that it is safe for those children to return, to help all who are engaged in this battle against covid to root out the disease, and ensure that those who are infected by it know that they are and can self-isolate.