We need a national plan to restart education

We all want children back at school as soon as possible. Educating our children must be a priority. But the Government’s mismanagement – and even blind spot – on this issue puts at risk the welfare and education of children as well as denting the prospects of recovery.

For weeks, parents and teachers were told that all children will be back at school for a month before the summer. However, on Monday, without warning, ministers ditched that commitment. Responsibility for this lies at the door of No 10. There was no plan, no consensus, no leadership.

The longer schools are shut, the greater the damage to children’s wellbeing and education and the increasing pressure on parents who are having to juggle childcare and work commitments. The warning from the Children’s Commissioner a few days ago could not have been starker: a generation of children now risk losing out on over six months of education.

I do not underestimate how difficult it is to reopen schools safely in the current climate. But those difficulties were entirely foreseeable. It should have been obvious that serious effort was going to be needed to support children’s education during the pandemic. Weeks ago, I urged the Prime Minister to secure a national consensus on the reopening of schools to address the valid safety concerns being raised. I even offered to work with him to find a way through, but was ignored.

It is characteristic of this Government’s handling of the pandemic. Too slow into lockdown, too slow on testing, too slow to get protective equipment to our frontline workers and now too slow on getting a plan in place for children’s education. We now have the ridiculous situation where next week betting shops and theme parks will open, but parents are not clear when their children will go back to school.

There is a very real risk that this country will lag behind the rest of the world in its recovery and in the wellbeing and education of our children because of the mistakes this Government has made. We cannot allow that to happen. We need decisive action. That requires three things.

First, a national plan to reopen our classrooms safely. That plan should be developed in the next fortnight with those who understand schools best: parents, teachers, education unions and council leaders. Without a plan, there is a risk that even by September many schools will not be able to reopen, and some children could be out of education for an entire year. I remain committed to working with the Prime Minister to develop that plan in the national interest.

Second, there is no doubt that the way children are educated needs to change in light of the pandemic. Schools cannot reopen as normal. Adaptations need to be made so that teachers, children and parents can be kept safe. Introducing these changes must be a national effort using the creativity of the British people. Towns, villages and cities are full of empty buildings and spaces that can be repurposed. Theatres, museums, libraries and leisure centres could be repurposed and opened for children.

Third, we need to take steps now to reverse the gaps in attainment that have been worsened during the lockdown. Despite the best efforts of teachers, millions of children will have gone without a proper education for nearly three months. They cannot wait until September to start learning again.

None of this is beyond the capability of government. It simply requires focus and determination to do the best for our children.

The Chancellor’s pre-Budget report next month must therefore include additional resources to fund schemes that can educate children over the summer months. I would also urge the Government to issue guidance requiring all children of school age to have a one-on-one meeting, with a teacher from their school and parents before the summer holidays start.

At Prime Minister’s Questions today, Boris Johnson did not appear to understand the urgency and the scale of the challenge of getting schools back up and running safely as soon as possible. Parents and teachers can see the mistakes that have been made, but what they need now is a strategy they can trust. Labour stands ready to make this work in the interests of children and our nation’s recovery.

Keir Starmer is the Labour Party leader