Today, Munira has tabled a Parliamentary motion that presses the Government to urgently devise a plan to enable children to safely return to school in September, if circumstances allow.
This follows many local parents and headteachers expressing their concerns about the lack of clarity from the Government over its plans to enable children to come back to school following the summer holidays.
Munira said:
“Amongst the political rhetoric and blame game we have seen in recent weeks, many parents feel their voices are not being heard in the debate around reopening of schools.
Parents are feeling understandably anxious about the current disruption to their child’s education and the effect this is having on their child’s wellbeing. Recent research has also shown that across the country during lockdown, homeschooling has been inconsistent. Disadvantaged children have fared particularly poorly
Parents, teachers and school governors are all united in wanting to get as many children as possible back to school as safely as possible, and as quickly as possible. The Government needs to step up and provide an action plan to make this happen.
That’s why I’ve tabled this Parliamentary motion on their behalf. It’s crucial Ministers urgently engage with head teachers, parent bodies, unions and local authorities to devise a plan to safely resume education in September if circumstances allow. There is no time to waste as the preparations need to happen now.”
The motion
The full Parliamentary motion can be found here. MPs have the opportunity to sign the motion to express their support.
The text is below:
Lib Dem 5 point plan
The Liberal Democrats have proposed a 5 Point Plan proposing ways to get more students back into the classroom. The proposals include:
- Safe space registers enabling schools to use local buildings for social distancing
- Recruiting additional staff through a Teach for Britain campaign
- End the learning void by working with the private sector to ensure no child is unable to access their online learning environment
- Develop a plan for flexible, phased reopening staggering key year groups
- Stop the disadvantage gap from widening further by committing to free schools means through the summer and a new Summer Learning Fund so disadvantaged pupils can access education through the summer holiday.
You can read more information here.
Photo credit: Ajari from here.
