Is your school in Covid danger zone? Online tool lets parents check how close their children could be to nearest outbreaks in the area
- The new website is from the National Education Union and has every school
- Parents can type in the name and find out cases and restrictions in the area
- Bosses at the NEU hope it will reassure some who are worried if schools are safe
- Union also believes it will help spread messages on rules further afield
A new website has been launched for parents to find out how at risk their children are from coronavirus at school.
The National Education Union has developed the online tool, that lets mothers and fathers type in the school’s name and see levels of infection in the area.
It displays the number of Covid-19 cases in their locality, whether it is on a watchlist or if local restrictions are in place.
The NEU believes it will reinforce public health messaging from local authorities and Government where cases are higher.
It adds that it says it hopes the map will also reassure parents of children in low case areas.
The site will use the increased amounts of data now made available by the Government.
Commenting on the launch, Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“Everyone in the education sector has worked hard to make full opening of schools, colleges and universities as successful as possible this autumn, but they have been let down by the Government which hasn’t even ensured that Covid testing has kept pace with need.
“The NEU School Covid Map presents up to date information on the Covid rate in every part of England. This website will support public health messaging everywhere. We believe it has the clearest information. We hope that it will encourage ongoing conversations about school safety, and how everyone can play their part.
Pupils in Huddersfield adopting new Covid-secure measures for their return to the classroom
Some schools have struggled with the return after lockdown over fears of infections rising
The new website can be used to find any schools, no matter if they are independent or private
“But this website will also encourage parents to support our asks of the Government that they help to support safety in our schools and colleges.
“We have written to the Prime Minister calling for much quicker testing for staff and students, Nightingale sites for smaller classes, guaranteed home working for vulnerable staff, and more funding for already strained schools and colleges to maintain Covid-security.
“Parents, students and staff also need urgent answers on next year’s exams, and how fit for purpose they will be. This is in light of not only the past summer’s fiasco, but also the disruption of local lockdowns in the months ahead.”
The site comes after parents and teachers aired serious concerns about going back into schools after the strict coronavirus lockdown.
Coronavirus figures for the UK show cases are rising again for the second wave
Previously NEU chiefs have called on the government to create ‘Nightingale classes’ amid a drop in the number unable to fully open due to Covid-19.
The latest government figures revealed one in six state secondary schools could not fully open last week – with most unable to do so because of coronavirus.
Schools are considered to be not fully open if they are unable to provide face-to-face teaching for all pupils for the whole school day and have asked a group of students to self-isolate.
Latest school attendance statistics reveal approximately 84 per cent of state-funded secondary schools were fully open on September 24 – down eight per cent from a week earlier.
Bosses from the NEU, the largest education union in the UK, have renewed calls on the government to create ‘Nightingale classes’ in a bid to get all of the country’s students back into lessons.
According to the Department for Education (DfE)’s latest school attendance statistics, approximately 84 per cent of state-funded secondary schools were fully open on September 24 – down from 92 per cent a week earlier.
Schools are considered to be not fully open if they are unable to provide face-to-face teaching for all pupils for the whole school day and have asked a group of students to self-isolate.
The cause of schools not being fully open was ‘mostly due to Covid-19 related reasons’, the DfE said.