Bring back school bubbles system amid rising Covid cases, says union

National Education Union urges Nadhim Zahawi, the Education Secretary, to reintroduce virus safety measures

Pupils queue for a socially distanced assembly at a school in in Manchester
Kevin Courtney, the joint general secretary of the NEU, said the Government was 'standing by while Covid cases surge across schools' Credit: Jon Super/ AP

Bubbles and self-isolation for children should be brought back to schools, the UK's largest teaching union has said.

The National Education Union (NEU) urged Nadhim Zahawi, the Education Secretary, to reintroduce additional Covid safety measures in schools amid rising cases and pupil absence.

Four education unions have joined the NEU in calling for previous measures – including the bubble system, social distancing and face masks in secondary schools – to be adopted again.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that around one in 15 children in school years seven to 11 in England are estimated to have had Covid in the week to Oct 2 – the highest positivity rate for any age group.

Government data show that more than 204,000 pupils were absent from school on Sep 30 for Covid-related reasons.

Kevin Courtney, the joint general secretary of the NEU, said: "We are concerned that the Government is standing by while Covid cases surge across schools.

"It is evident that more needs to be done – and sooner rather than later – to prevent further massive disruption to children's education, caused either by children contracting Covid-19 or Covid-related staff absence."

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Mr Zahawi has previously said he will not "stand back" and allow pupils to miss school as a result of Covid, telling Sky News on Thursday that he does not want to see a return to bubbles because the fall off in attendance harms children's mental well-being.

The bubble system – which led to whole year groups being sent home to self-isolate for 10 days because one classmate tested positive – was scrapped by the Government after more than one million pupils were kept off school in July.

However, education unions warned that, without such measures, students' education and health will be damaged unnecessarily.

Jon Richards, the Unison assistant general secretary, said: "To offer pupils and staff greater protection, face masks must return right away, along with school bubbles and other sensible precautions that were ditched."

Avril Chambers, the GMB national officer, said the latest figures show that "it is clear further mitigation measures are needed immediately" in order to avoid further disruption to schooling.

"School staff have kept our schools open throughout the pandemic – they deserve to stay safe and our children deserve not to have their education interrupted any more than it already has been," she said.

Most children aged 12 to 15 in England are being offered one dose of the Pfizer vaccine by immunisation teams at schools.

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