4 January 2021
Green councillors support teachers and parents wanting remote learning
Green councillors have supported calls for primary schools in Norwich to remain physically closed to most pupils at the start of the new term, asking for remote learning to be offered instead.
Councillor Nannette Youssef said:
“We are aware that some primary schools have made the decision to stay closed to most pupils as the Christmas holiday ends, and we support the right of staff and pupils to work and learn in safe environments. The decision to close should not be left to individual headteachers, and teachers should not be put in a position where they are forced to exercise their right to not attend an unsafe place of work. These decisions should be made by the government, or, at the very least, by the county council.
“We want schools to be open, offering children the structure and education necessary for their successful development, but only if that’s a safe option. We believe that early closure of schools will be less disruptive in the long run because longer closures will be needed, to create the same impact, if delays are allowed while numbers of positive cases are rising. The Government must learn from previous mistakes and take sharp, decisive action now to prevent worse situations in the future.
“Schools need to be closed now to protect the NHS from being overwhelmed, and ensure that the wider community is kept as safe as possible, as well as teachers and pupils themselves. We know that many families will have to make sacrifices and find additional childcare at short notice. This is challenging and inconvenient, but it’s necessary if we want to keep the numbers of coronavirus cases as low as we can in Norwich. While schools need to open for the children of key workers and for vulnerable children, it’s also incredibly important for the resources and creativity to be found to provide additional support for pupils who need it so that the lockdown does not worsen existing inequalities in quality of education.”
Further information from:
Councillor Nannette Youssef n.youssef@cllr.norwich.gov.uk
