A furious Tory MP and former teacher has accused the teaching unions of “damaging” the profession by their actions during the coronavirus pandemic.
In a heated debate, Jonathan Gullis, MP for Stoke-on-Trent North, said he has never been “so frustrated” in his entire life.
Mr Gullis, who is a former trade union representative and spent eight years in the teaching profession, accused the National Education Union of running a political campaign to ensure schools did not open.
He told the Education Committee: “I am absolutely outraged at the sheer damage the unions have done to the teaching profession.
“Teachers have worked incredibly hard and they have been unbelievable but the unions have acted I’m sorry in a way that is not in the interests of working with people.”
He told the Education Committee he thought some of their actions had been “utterly disgraceful” and added: “The fact that David Blunkett and Alan Johnson – Labour MPs back in their day.
"Alan Johnson especially was a shadow secretary of state for education has said that unions have got this wrong.”
In the fiery exchange, Mr Gullis questioned whether unions had worked with the local authorities that refused to open schools on June 1.
He said unions have been running a campaign to “brief fear into parents about sending their children back to school". “It comes across to parents that schools are death traps and that is not the case," he said.
Dr Patrick Roach, general secretary of NAWUST, said his union has “not been engaged in any campaign to keep schools closed”, while Julie McCulloch, director of policy at ASCL said the union “certainly hasn’t been running any campaign to suggest schools should remain closed.”
Jon Richards, National Secretary, Education, UNISON, said the union had raised “legitimate questions” about schools reopening.
Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, admitted members were told not to engage with the government on schools reopening, but only until the government produced its guidelines. She denied her union worked with some Local Authorities to stop schools reopening.
UK Schools begin to reopen during Coronavirus lockdown ease
The NEU was also criticised for producing its own five tests for when schools should reopen.
Mr Gullis said the union’s five tests have been “hijacked for political reasons” by some local authorities which used them to justify not reopening schools.
But Mrs Bousted said: “Our five tests are perfectly reasonable and based on the science.”
Tom Hunt, Conservative MP for Ipswich said there is a perception that unions have actively obstructed the reopening of schools.
Mrs Bousted said she wants schools to open “as quickly as possible”, but the problem is the teacher to pupil ratio is so high and school buildings so small. She called for other public buildings to be used for children to be taught in, and for “blended learning” where some children continue to be taught remotely.
Julie McCulloch agreed the “maths doesn’t work” if you can only have 15 children in a class, but have to bring back all children to school. She said: “We need more classrooms or more teachers."
The committee also heard about the problems faced by children without access to computers during the lockdown.
Julie McCulloch said: “It is close to a national scandal we have had such a large amount of people without technology at home. It’s not a panacea but for children to be able to learn for the long period they have been out of school, to be able to stand any chance of catching up they need access to the technology.”
Calling for schools to reopen next term, Jonathan Gullis said: “I would ask the unions in a calm way, I appreciate I have cooled off now, we lobby for all students to go back in September.”
Committee chairman Robert Halfon, Conservative MP for Harlow, thanked the unions for taking a “sustained barrage of tough questions.”