Dear constituent,

Thank you for contacting me about closing schools and colleges as part of the national lockdown.

Firstly, I pay tribute to everyone who has worked to keep pupils learning online – the incredible leaders, teachers and support staff in schools and colleges who are doing a considerable amount to make learning accessible. School staff are doing a brilliant job in difficult circumstances.

From 5 January, all primary schools, secondary schools and colleges were moved to remote learning, except for the children of key workers and vulnerable children, as part of a third national lockdown for England.

Every pupil who is not in school must be able to access education. However, in the first week of lockdown, research indicated that just 10% of teachers reported that all their students had adequate access to a device for remote learning. This has barely increased since the first lockdown and the Government must urgently act to get a device to every child who needs one. It needs to ensure that all pupils can learn remotely, that families are supported and that the most vulnerable are safeguarded.

I am also concerned about the support available for special schools. I appreciate that being open to their pupils presents challenges for the safety of both the staff and the young people they serve. The Government needs to focus on and prioritise the provision in special schools, and to trust headteachers to make sensible decisions about managing the flows of children and young people in their school, making assessments about risk and vulnerability and ensuring that children receive the support they need.

The decision to close schools is not one taken easily or lightly. Although it is the right thing to do to control the virus and save lives, it has huge consequences for children’s learning and development. I maintain the belief that schools should be the last thing to close and the first to reopen.

Thank you once again for contacting me about this important issue. 

Yours sincerely,

Anthony Lavelle