Mark Fletcher has welcomed the reopening of schools as all children return to classrooms today for the first time since the Autumn. The return of face-to-face teaching is a key part in the first step of the Government’s roadmap for removing Covid-19 restrictions.
Mark has been pleased to see the Government prioritise the return of children to schools as soon as it is safe to do so, as the vaccine rollout continues to mitigate the effects of Covid-19. By extending social distancing measures and the use of face coverings to schools the Government have taken every measure possible to keep Covid-19 cases low while reopening this vital part of our society. The Government are also providing 57 million tests for schools to identify cases and break chains of transmission. This, alongside the brilliant work done by our local schools to make their environments Covid secure, means that pupils and staff can remain even safer than before.
Mark said
“Getting children and young people back into the classroom is the best place for them to learn. And thanks to all of our hard work over the last few months, along with the roll out of the vaccine programme, we can take our first steps out of lockdown. I’d like to say particular thanks to the many teachers who have been working so hard throughout the pandemic. I remain in regular contact with many of our local schools and I know how hard they are working.”
Mark has spoken repeatedly in the House of Commons about the effect of the pandemic and the isolation required to combat it have had on young people. This is why he has always supported calls for schools to be the first settings reopened when it was safe to do so. The work teachers and parents have done with remote teaching and home schooling has been incredible, but there is no substitute for face to face learning.
