Health Secretary Matt Hancock says Government has not taken lightly the decision to start re-opening schools from next week.
This is despite the reluctance of many Leicestershire parents to send their children back to class.
LeicestershireLive was invited to ask a question at this evening’s Downing Street coronavirus briefing.
We chose to raise an issue of concern, reported earlier today, about the safety of pupils returning to the classroom from Monday.
Leicestershire and Leicester primary schools have said they will be ready soon to start a phased return for pupils in years one, six and reception.
But two-thirds of parents have indicated they are unhappy about their kids going back - with just days until schools start accepting more pupils.
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What LeicestershireLive asked the Government
"We know here in Leicester and Leicestershire that two-thirds of parents are unhappy about sending their kids back to the timetable the Government has pinned to this.
"Despite the best efforts of councils and headteachers here, there is still clearly an issue of public confidence about a safe return.
"So, what more could and should the Government be doing to help parents make a very difficult decision?
How Matt Hancock responded
"I think this is a really important question and, right across Leicestershire, I would say to parents of children who are in Reception year, Year One or Year Six, which are the three years of primary school which are coming back on Monday, I would say that we would not have made this decision unless it was safe.
"We have considered all of the factors and there is a very, very low impact of the disease on children and there are clear measures been put in place by the Department for Education and by schools to make sure that schools are safe for children.
"I would urge parents to take that very seriously.
"Of course, some schools have been open throughout, with the children of key workers in them and I am very grateful to all of the schools that have stayed open, for instance so that NHS staff and staff in social care have been able to send their children to school.
"And there’s one further thing that can give people that confidence, and I will ask Baroness Harding to come in on that, and that is with the NHS Test and Trace programme in place, it means that we will be able to be more targeted in finding those positive cases, in making sure that we find all of the contacts that they may have infected and passed the disease on to and, therefore, use this more targeted approach to be able to control the virus.
How YOU can support our There With You Fund
We are raising £250,000 to help Leicestershire's most vulnerable people through the coronavirus crisis.
There are two ways that you can help us support communities with small crisis grants (which are usually in the form of food vouchers, appliances,mobility aids or beds):
- If you are an individual donor, go to the Just Giving page and donate via our Leicester-based fund administrator Charity Link
- If you are a business donor, call Charity Link’s director of marketing and fundraising, Susan McEniff, on 0116 222 2212, e-mail info@charity-link.org or visit the website.
