Covid

Zahawi on school nativities: the show must go on

The education secretary said 'carry on' with Christmas events after two years of disruption

The education secretary said 'carry on' with Christmas events after two years of disruption

29 Nov 2021, 12:50

More from this author

The education secretary has told schools to “carry on” with plans for nativities, despite concerns over Covid rates and the new Omicron variant.

Nadhim Zahawi faced questions about whether such Christmas events should go ahead as other measures are tightened, with nine cases of the variant now identified in Britain.

Some schools have already scrapped planned nativities, and many did not happen last year.

Nativities an ‘important part of our life’

Nadhim Zahawi

Appearing on ITV’s This Morning today, he said: “We need to make sure that teachers take appropriate action if they are worried about high levels of infection but actually nativities are an important part of our life.

“My very strong advice is, if you’ve organised nativities carry on. We haven’t changed that advice at all, the advice we’ve changed is precautionary.”

School staff and visitors have been told to wear face coverings in corridors and communal areas in new guidance today, while secondary students are also advised to wear masks. Schools should also reconsider trips abroad, and parents “bear in mind” the impact of self-isolation rules for returning travellers on their children’s education.

But Zahawi also pushed back against the suggestion schools should introduce bubbles, “because that reduces attendance signficantly.”

He highlighted the impact of being away from school on pupils’ mental health, adding: “The best place for children to be in is a classroom learning.”

DfE: host events, take tests, improve airflow

A blogpost by the DfE on Friday said it was “a matter for schools” to decide on hosting events. It noted guidance had not changed, so schools could continue to welcome visitors.

Schools hosting events should “take steps to improve fresh air flow” through ventilation systems or opening doors and windows, it adds. But schools are also told to “make sure they maintain a comfortable temperature and don’t compromise fire safety”.

In a section on what precautions parents can take, it says: “You should take a rapid lateral flow test if you’re going to be coming into contact people you don’t normally meet.”

Third year of uncertainty over nativities

The DfE acknowledged that “sadly last year many had to be cancelled”.

A Teacher Tapp poll of staff last November saw more than half of respondents in some regions say nativities were not happening. Some were held virtually. School leaders’ union ASCL had said Covid made holding the events “very difficult”.

It followed disruption the previous year over the general election. Schools Week revealed that hundreds of schools faced festive disruption because they will be used as makeshift polling booths for the snap election on December 12.

But the government then U-turned, saying it would fund councils to find alternative venues for polling stations to ensure school nativities and Christmas concerts aren’t axed because of the election.

The DfE’s latest blogpost said the country was in a better position than last year. “We are at a different stage of the pandemic and so many people are benefitting from the protections the vaccines offer, we hope many more will be able to go ahead.”

But it acknowledged some local directors of public health may “suggest that they don’t hold gatherings” to schools with particularly high Covid rates.

Latest education roles from

Senior Quality Officer

Senior Quality Officer

University of Lancashire

Chief Financial Officer

Chief Financial Officer

Minerva Learning Trust

Head of Programme 2D Studies – City Lit

Head of Programme 2D Studies – City Lit

FEA

Group Director of Governance & Company Secretary

Group Director of Governance & Company Secretary

New City College

Sponsored posts

Sponsored post

Helping every learner use AI responsibly

AI didn’t wait to be invited into the classroom. It burst in mid-lesson. Across UK schools, pupils are already...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

Retire Early, Live Fully: What Teachers Need to Consider First

Specialist Financial Adviser, William Adams, from Wesleyan Financial Services discusses what teachers should be considering when it comes to...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

AI Safety: From DfE Guidance to Classroom Confidence

Darren Coxon, edtech consultant and AI education specialist, working with The National College, explores the DfE’s expectations for AI...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

How accurate spend information is helping schools identify savings

One the biggest issues schools face when it comes to saving money on everyday purchases is a lack of...

SWAdvertorial

More from this theme

Covid

Johnson considered sacking Williamson after Covid exam chaos

The former Conservative PM told the Covid inquiry he was in a 'homicidal mood' following the 2020 grading scandal...

Ruth Lucas
Covid

DfE was ‘confident’ over Covid testing plan to keep schools open – rather than closures

DfE permanent secretary tells the Covid Inquiry mass testing would have been 'executed really well' in January 2021 -...

Ruth Lucas
Covid

Williamson texted PM he was ‘f****d over’ by Covid decisions

Covid inquiry sees expletive-riddled text sent by Gavin Williamson to Boris Johnson over school closures and catch-up tsar's appointment

Ruth Lucas
Covid

Covid inquiry unearths more school pandemic ‘chaos’

And former education secretary says he was given just one day to plan for closing classrooms

Ruth Lucas

Your thoughts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *