Schoolchildren say they’re taking matters into their own hands by staying home from school

Thousands of schoolchildren and students have decided to take matters into their own hands and stay home in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus.

A Twitter hashtag, #Covid19Walkout, has sparked a movement amongst younger generations to stage a walkout on Friday. 

School chiefs and teaching unions are to hold crisis talks with Education Secretary Gavin Williamson today as the pressure mounts for a month-long classroom closure to slow the spread of coronavirus.  

Ministers have so far resisted calls to follow France, Italy and Ireland, which have sent children home for an extended Easter break. 

An online petition demanding the Government close schools in the UK has so far received 583,020 signatures – with the number constantly rising. 

The calls come as the UK death toll jumped to 35 yesterday and the number of those infected soared to 1,372. 

Speaking ahead of today’s joint union meeting with the Department for Education, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, which represents leaders in the majority of schools, said:

‘School leaders are obviously concerned about the impact on exams and assessments but right now their main priority is keeping children safe.

‘It’s important that we all work together to do the maximum we can. We will working jointly with the secretary of state to establish a credible plan for schools and colleges in the coming weeks.

‘School leaders and their teams are determined to play their part in the national civic response to this crisis. We will use the meeting to bring some clarity and direction. Vulnerable children and families are uppermost in our minds. For some children a day at school is a place of sanctuary and nourishment as well as a place of education.

‘Once the immediate issues are under control I am confident that school leaders and their teams will do all that they can to support children and young people throughout the remainder of the crisis.’  

Leora Cruddas, chief executive officer of the Confederation of School Trusts, said teachers are working in ‘extremely challenging circumstances’ during a ‘very fluid situation’.

‘It is important to understand that all the big decisions about school closures, exams and the suspension of inspections can only be made by the Government,’ she said.

‘These are not decisions that regulators can make independently.

‘CST’s top priorities, in addition to seeking clarity on these big decisions, will be about the arrangements for safeguarding and welfare of our children and young people, and in particular the most vulnerable.’ 

One Twitter user wrote: ‘I am so disgusted with the incumbent UK government’s response. 

‘I fortunately work within walking distance and currently occupy my own office, but students should absolutely be allowed to abstain from schools with no issues.’

Another said: ‘I have to strongly disagree with the government on this one. This is about public safety and the health of loved ones. 

‘This is not something to be trifled with!’

While another wrote: ‘Boris isn’t going to close school so take matter into your own hands to avoid spreading and receiving germs.’ 

British officials say crucial staff such as NHS workers would have to take time off work for childcare if schools were closed. 

Ministers warned the public that school closures could cut three per cent of the UK’s GDP and cost the economy billions of pounds.

Advisers at the Department for Education and No 10 are examining a range of options from complete closure of all schools and colleges in England, which would affect around 7 million children, to more nuanced policies. 

Austria has allowed schools to stay open to act as a daycare to help parents who are essential workers. 

And school leaders don’t know how they will be able to deliver exams if schools are shutdown. 

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: ‘The concerns we will be raising with him are the challenges of keeping open schools and colleges when a growing number of staff are away from work because they are self-isolating; the potential for disruption to GCSE and A-levels and what contingencies will be put in place; and how we ensure children in poverty do not go hungry and that vulnerable young people are safeguarded if schools are closed.

‘We aim to work through these issues in order to arrive at constructive solutions about the way ahead. School and college leaders are showing calm and assured leadership in these difficult times and we can reassure the public that everything that can be done to support young people will be done.’ 

Ofqual, the governmental department that regulates exams in the UK, said: ‘We recognise that students, parents, schools and colleges will be concerned about the possible impact of coronavirus on the 2020 summer exam series. 

‘Our advice at this time is to continue to prepare for exams and other assessments as normal.’  

Amid calls for greater clarity from the Government, Mr Williamson will today meet school leaders to discuss the next move. 

The meeting comes after the largest education union in Europe wrote to the Prime Minister asking for full disclosure over his decision not to shut schools amid the pandemic.

The letter, from the National Education Union, asked why the Government is not closing schools in the same way as other countries, particularly now plans are under way to ban mass gatherings.

Boris Johnson said on Thursday that closures now could do ‘more harm than good’, hours after Ireland announced that schools and colleges would close for a fortnight. 

He was warned that one tactic, to allow larger class sizes if teachers are off sick, could backfire by spreading the virus between more pupils. 

Another option understood to be under discussion by ministers for the exam boards to delay the tests until September, after students return from summer holidays. 

Last night a Downing Street source told The Telegraph that discussions were ongoing, but refused to rule out exams being pushed back.  

The talks were scheduled as ministers from Britain’s largest teaching union, the National Education Union, said members were demanding to know ‘why schools aren’t closing if mass gatherings are to be suspended’.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, joint general secretaries, Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, wrote: ‘Every day we are getting increasing numbers of questions from teachers and support staff asking why the Westminster government isn’t following the pattern of other countries in calling for periods of school closure.’

Last week, Mr Williamson insisted that the ‘impact of closing schools on children’s education will be substantial, but the benefit to public health would not be’. He said he was ‘particularly mindful’ of increasing the strain on the workforce of public services such as the NHS.

Mr Williamson was backed by Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Geoff Barton, who said: ‘Young people are safest and are best served by focus on the routines, the rhythms of learning.’ 

However, Mr Barton urged the Government to suspend all Ofsted inspections immediately, with the exception of establishments with safeguarding concerns. In response, the watchdog said it would look ‘very favourably’ on schools that asked for inspections to be deferred during the outbreak.

Schools and colleges have been drawing up contingency plans to enable children to follow lesson plans online in the event of a long shutdown.

Writing in the Times Educational Supplement, primary school teacher Matthew Murray warned that relaxing maximum class sizes in primary schools ‘could exacerbate an already worsening public health situation, as well as harm the wellbeing of school staff members’.

He asked: ‘When the rest of society is seeking to avoid large gatherings, should this logic not apply to schools too?’ Northern Ireland initially rejected calls to follow the decision of Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to close all schools and colleges for two weeks.

But on Friday, Stormont First Minister Arlene Foster suggested schools will soon be closed for 16 weeks in the North.

Meanwhile, schools in Scotland are drawing up plans.

Larry Flanagan, of the Educational Institute for Scotland teaching union, said: ‘There is a hope to get to the spring break without blanket school closures and then if incidents of the virus have increased, it may be necessary to close all schools.’