Social distancing in classrooms is an ‘aspiration’ and not an ‘absolute requirement’, the head of Ofsted said yesterday.
Amanda Spielman, the chief inspector of Ofsted, told Sky News that reducing the two-metre distancing rule would allow more pupils to return to school.
She added that schools are following a ‘hierarchy’ of infection controls, which emphasise hand washing over distancing, and many schools are being ‘creative’ to manage their class sizes.
Ms Spielman said: ‘Social distancing within the bubbles of the half-size classes is, according to the guidance, an aspiration, not an absolute requirement.
‘What’s really important is that everybody works to the guidance as it stands, plans for the relaxations that are likely to come along in future.
‘But, yes, obviously, a reduced distance expectation will flow through into greater capacity in schools but what we need to get to is that plan for how we build capacity over time.
Children arrive for school with social distancing at L’Ecole de Battersea, an independent French bilingual school in London
‘Use relaxations as they come through but concentrate on the main objective which should surely be to get as many children back into school as possible and as soon as possible.’
She added that were losing out on education, development and social interaction.
‘Boredom and frustration, which most of our teenagers are experiencing at the moment, is clearly not helpful,’ she said.
Under Department of Education guidance for primary schools, classes are split in half with a limit of 15 pupils per group.
Schools are then required to follow a hierarchy of measures to keep the virus under control.
The first measure stresses that all contact with someone with symptoms must be avoided.
Next is frequent hand washing, followed by regular cleaning of school facilities’.
The guidance stresses the importance of reducing contact between pupils and calls on teachers to minimise mixing.
Secondary school pupils with GCSE and A-level exams next year are returning to classes today, but only a quarter of Years 10 and 12 are allowed on site at one time due to social-distancing.
Amanda Spielman, the chief inspector of Ofsted, said schools are following a ‘hierarchy’ of infection controls as they start to reopen
Children maintain social distancing measures while taking part in a lesson at Earlham Primary School in Newham, London
The Government wants pupils to have ‘face-to-face’ support before their exams next summer, but the amount contact time will vary considerably across the country.
Some schools are only launching ‘weekly contact sessions’ for teenagers or prioritising contact for children who have ‘struggled’ with remote learning, while around one in eight are set to remain closed.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson told MPs that they were working towards bringing all children back to school by September, and GCSE and A-level exams will go ahead next year.
Health chiefs warned last night that school closures are putting a generation of children at risk of obesity.
They said lack of exercise could have devastating long-term consequences when one in five pupils are already excessively overweight.
‘We need to get kids back to school as soon as we can for their health,’ said Russell Viner, who leads the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. ‘Everybody in the nutritional world is concerned.’
Meanwhile, Manchester United and England star Marcus Rashford, 22, has pleaded with the Government to keep providing free meals for vulnerable children during the school holidays.
When schools were shut down in March amid the coronavirus lockdown, a food voucher scheme was set up to guarantee meals to children who had been reliant on food being provided at schools. Vouchers worth £15 are available to spend each week in supermarkets.
And now the Manchester United and England star has expressed his concerns about the scheme coming to an end next month, penning a letter to members of the House of Commons.