Dear Editor,

I FOUND myself incensed by the headline in the Mail on Sunday this week. Now some might say that’s no surprise for a ‘lefty’ like me. But usually I am quite good at taking what the Mail says with a pinch of salt. My granddad read it for years and it didn’t stop him voting Labour all his life.

However, when the Mail on Sunday’s front page claim that teaching unions are against the reopening of schools because they want ‘extra money’ I saw red. Firstly I find it ironic that certain media publications are suddenly so concerned about children’s education. The idea that not going back for another month, even two, would be so damaging to children whom have been the victim of teacher shortages, shortages that have led to some having a series of supply teachers, sometimes for over a year, is a bit rich.

However, the biggest point to make about this is not a political one, it is one of common sense, and even I appreciate that’s not always the same thing. I teach in a school of around 1200 students. I teach in classes that have up to 32 students in them in a school which was built over 50 years ago. You can’t socially distance if there isn’t the space. Okay so we can make class sizes smaller. The issue is we don’t have enough teachers to do that. The teacher shortage will be made even worse by the fact some teachers themselves maybe ill and some have children themselves who are classed as vulnerable so can’t go in to school. In the two days before schools closed I was 50% of our Maths dept as all the other teachers were ill or self isolating. Although we may be over the peak we are still not at the tail of the curve for new cases of Covid 19.

Then there’s the matter of break time and lunchtime. I heard one story about a head teacher in another school talking about painting white lines on the field marking two metres. Really? Do we think that young people are going to be able to adhere to that even if they try? If you do then you’ve not spent a lot of time with teenagers.

In reality spending an extra two months off school won’t have the dramatically damaging effect that the Mail on Sunday are trying to convince you of, certainly less of an effect than having over a year of supply teachers, some of who won’t even be subject specialists, has had. I care a great deal about education. I wouldn’t have been a teacher for 15 years if I didn’t. I’m currently setting work for students to do online and providing feedback where required, as well as giving lessons to friends students via zoom. But I tend to think that the health and well-being of my students comes first!

Fortunately the Prime Minister has suggested tonight that schools should not open until June at the earliest. I hope that any return is as soon as possible after that date, but only if it can be done in a way that is safe for pupils, safe for the families of pupils that may carry the virus home, even if they are asymptotic, and safe for all the staff of schools.

Chris Vince