Coronavirus

School safety and mass testing

The government announced that all secondary schools and colleges would be offered the opportunity to carry out lateral flow tests for pupils and staff during the week beginning 4th January, read the joint unions' statement on this.

See NEU's advice to members on proposed mass testing in schools and colleges.

In the run up to Christmas infection among school age children has risen sharply again. More than 1 in 40 secondary pupils and 1 in 15 primary children are infected. This is result of Government’s failure to protect schools. The union has called for education staff to be treated as a priority for vaccination. The union wrote to every head teacher, employer and the Government  that it is not safe to expect CEV staff to work in school or college and that they should work from home. See our advice for the clinically vulnerable.

With coronavirus infection rates rising across the country – particularly among teenagers – the National Education Union (NEU) is looking at how adopting rota systems in secondary schools and colleges could provide continuous education while helping to suppress the virus among students, staff and in the community.

Safety checklist

This checklist has been issued by the joint unions (GMB, NEU, UNISON and UNITE) for use from November 2020 onwards in schools and colleges. Faced with worsening impact of the pandemic upon schools, the joint unions want to support schools in remaining safely open, but do not have confidence that the measures set out in Government guidance are sufficient on their own to achieve this purpose.

Read our joint unions' advice for staff working in school and colleges who are medically vulnerable or otherwise at higher risk from Covid-19, or who live with or care for such people.

COVID-19 map for schools

Covid-19 rate map for schools aim to make coronavirus data easily available to parents and staff. Share the website, contact your MP, and share our demands for greater safety in schools.

What you need to know

Specific advice