Leicester primary closes as only two teachers willing to return

A primary head has had to close his school after all but two teachers refused to come in because of concerns over coronavirus transmission rates.

Shaftesbury Junior School in Leicester told parents on Sunday it would not reopen until next week at the earliest.

It is one of dozens of East Midlands primary schools to have to partially or fully close after unions called for a "pause" in the return to school.

The Department for Education said closing should only be a "last resort".

Karl Stewart, the junior school head teacher, said he would have opened the 230-pupil school as planned on Tuesday after an inset day on Monday but as only two of his nine teachers were willing to come in, that will not be possible.

They will now move to online learning.

He said: "I respect the teachers' decision.

"It's not that my staff don't want to be here, school is the best place for kids - it's about the transmission rates being so high."

Mr Stewart recognised some parents supported schools staying open and some did not but said: "The messages we've had so far from parents have been positive - things like, 'thank you for not coming back'."

Navtej Johal, East Midlands Today

Dozens of primary schools across the East Midlands have been forced to close to all but vulnerable children and those with parents who are key workers.

The National Education Union (NEU) estimates about 45% of primary schools in Leicester could move to full or partial remote teaching over the next two weeks.

The prime minister has insisted schools are safe and risk to children is "very, very low".

But city councils in Leicester, Nottingham and Derby, and Nottinghamshire County Council, said they will support any schools who feel it isn't safe to reopen.

Meanwhile, the leader of Derbyshire County Council says decisions on openings "are made by individual schools according to their circumstances" and that it "would support primary schools returning as planned".

A Department for Education spokesman said: "Children's education has consistently been a national priority, which is why we want classrooms to reopen wherever possible in the new term.

"Schools will continue to implement appropriate safety measures to help mitigate the risk of transmission."

Some parents of children from other schools in Leicester have chosen not to send their kids back to the classroom, due to fears of rising Covid case numbers.

Dr Alex Patel's seven-year-old daughter Sofiya was supposed to return to Brocks Hill Primary School in Oadby on Monday but has instead been kept at home.

Dr Patel, a learning development adviser at Leicester University, said: "I'm absolutely convinced that schools are the worst places to be.

"Before Christmas there were classes of 30, they were trying as much as they could to keep safe but the social distancing wasn't there."

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