The group has demanded that schools stay open amid growing concern that the rise in omicron Covid cases could cause fresh chaos for children’s education after a turbulent year for students. The group also urged the Prime Minister to draw up fresh legal protections to ensure this happens.
Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “Some headteachers were already calling for exams to be axed for a third year in a row, with predicted grades used instead.”
But Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, said schools must remain open “come what may”.
He added: “What we have seen over the last year is an appalling collapse of education, particularly for those in the poorest areas of society.
“It will affect their life chances dramatically if they aren’t able to catch up – and they can’t catch up if you keep shutting the schools.”
The request came after the UK Health Security Agency warned that if omicron continued to spread at the current rate, it would imminently become the dominant strain, with more than a million infections…
