Coronavirus

The pandemic continues to cause huge disruption to education with the dominance of the Omicron variant. This advice has been issued by the joint unions (GMB, NEU, Unison and Unite) for use in schools and other settings.  It will be kept under regular review.

 The joint unions have also published updated guidance for staff at greater risk.

The Government has withdrawn its plan B prematurely, even if it contained little to protect schools and colleges.  The limited and short-term mitigations which were introduced, particularly around face coverings, have been withdrawn, leaving schools and colleges exposed to high case rates and severe educational disruption.

Our priority, as always, is to protect education, keeping staff and students as safe as possible from the impact of the virus.  By following our guidance, schools and other settings can seek to minimise the risk of disruption. According to Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures last term, education workers were at greater risk of testing positive for Covid-19 than the general population because of high cases among school children, leading to increased disruption.

As term progresses, you can rely on your union's support in seeking to protect you while you continue to deliver education to students.