Heads and teachers have questioned the Government’s decision to keep secondary schools open in London and the South East at a time when Covid-19 cases are increasing fastest among their pupils. 

On Thursday, the Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced a mass testing drive for schools in London, Essex and Kent, where cases have been rising rapidly and where the fastest increase is among those aged 11 to 18 years old. 

On Friday, the Government set out more details about the programme, which will be focused on secondary schools and colleges in North London, South Essex and Kent. 

Mobile testing units will be deployed along with home test kits, and in certain schools staff, students and their families will all be urged to get tested.   

Targeted testing

In London, the boroughs which will receive additional testing are Barking and Dagenham, Hackney and the City, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest. In Essex, testing will be targeted at Southend, Basildon, Canvey Island, Harlow and Brentwood. 

However, the decision to keep secondary schools open in these areas for the last week of term has been criticised by education unions. 

Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, pointed out that the number of Covid cases in the areas was similar to parts of Wales, which has decided to move all secondary school teaching online from Monday. 

Figures published by the Office for National Statistics on Friday showed that in the week to 5 December, secondary school age children in England had the highest positive rate of any age group in England. 

Covid ‘ripping through’

Kevin Courtney, the joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “The Government would have been much better advised to have encouraged schools to prepare for online learning in the last week of term. That would have resulted in lower cases before the holidays began and could have been planned.” 

One teacher at a secondary school in South East London – who asked not to be named – told i that mass testing had come “far too late in the game”.  

The teacher, who is currently self-isolating for the second time due to school based transmission, said: “Covid is ripping through my school and any sensible government would have closed them months ago. 

“Going into school is now dangerous for teachers, our families and the communities that pupils return to every day.

“This is sadly exacerbated by pupils who continue to fail to comply with basic safety precautions and the previous messaging that there would be little transmission in schools.”

Government priority

The Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden told BBC Breakfast that the Government had decided to “prioritise kids remaining in schools”. 

However, at least one school in north London has decided to partially close for the rest of the term. 

The City Academy in Hackney closed to all students on Wednesday and Thursday to undertake a deep clean. It opened to Year 11 pupils on Friday, who will be the only year group receiving face to face teaching next week. 

All other year group will receive online lessons until January. The school said it had taken the actions “due to an increased number of new cases of Covid-19 in the school community and in line with public health guidance”.