New concerns arise every day in our continually changing new normal that we have to learn to live with. One of these in the education sphere is concerning whether it is good or not to keep schools open. In the UK, in an article in the Guardian, following the announced National Lockdown the National Education Union is calling “for schools to be included in the new month-long lockdown”. With evidence that the number of secondary-school pupils infected with Covid-19 has increased 50 fold since the start of September must be a worry for all parties. Some schools are moving to a rota system – alternating attendance with classes from home – but many teachers, parents and other players are now questioning the decisions made at government level. While everyone recognises the need to continue educating children and a concern to avoid any widening of educational inequalities, a lack of planning and poor communication are beginning to wear people down. Let us hope that other national governments learn from this sort of failure.
