Don't Let Teaching Unions Use Pupils As Political Pawns

A mid the fury over Dominic Cummings, you may have missed the Prime Minister’s confirmation this weekend that primary schools will re-open on Monday – and secondary schools are expected to follow soon after.

- Stephen Pollard

Many teachers and parents are clearly concerned about the possibility of infection. I am more concerned than most. Because I have cancer, I am vulnerable and shielding, so the last thing I want is to run the risk of my eight and 10-year-olds bringing the virus home with them.

I have spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about this. Not just thinking but looking at the evidence.

Much of the comment about re-opening schools is based not on that evidence but on instinct. And not even just instinct. For the teaching unions, which have dogmatically refused to go along with moves to reopen schools, the argument about safety is a facade. In reality it is about hard-Left politics.

LET’S start with the evidence. Last week SAGE, the Government’s scientific advisory group, published its assessment of the risk of transmission to and from pupils going back to the classroom. It is, SAGE said, “very, very small, but it is not zero”.

Cue outrage from unions about the risk. But their outrage is feigned. The risk of almost any activity would be classed as very, very small but not zero.

Walking to school involves the risk of an accident. Playing football at school involves the risk of an accident.