Teachers are urged to give up part of summer holiday to deal with ‘national emergency’

Unions have angrily dismissed calls for teachers to give up part of their summer holidays amid desperate efforts to get schools up and running and shore up the prospects of millions of children.

The proposals are being pushed by former education secretaries from across parties, amid mounting alarm at the damage being done by the failure to get all pupils back in classrooms. 

It emerged amid claims Gavin Williamson’s own job is on the line, after he was seen in Downing Street as having bungled the effort to bring schools back up to now.  

Boris Johnson‘s top team are ‘livid’ at Mr Williamson for being outflanked by unions, resulting in the government humiliatingly having to drop a pledge for all primary children to come back for at least four weeks before the summer break.

The PM has now staked his personal credibility on a vow to have all schools fully up and running by September, with the two-metre rule set to be eased and ‘bubbles’ extended to full classes.

Five ex-education secretaries have set out ideas for how the situation can be improved, including demanding that teachers give up a slice of their six-week holiday.   

Boris Johnson solemnly promised that schools will return fully in September and hinted at an imminent shift on the two-metre rule – something that would delight business and Tory MPs

Drawn up by Labour’s Lord Adonis, a former schools minister, the blueprint urges ministers confirm a loosening of social distancing rules, appoint a national director of school operations and bring back teachers in August to start preparing.

An army of retired supply teachers to fill in the gaps when teachers need to self-isolate, hiring church halls to provide more space and the stockpiling of hand sanitiser, masks and thermometers for classrooms. 

Lord Adonis told The Times: ‘I see no reason why we cannot have a complete return of schools in September subject to proper organisation and leadership by the government.

‘We did this king of planning in the Second World War; we should be able to do it in 2020.’  

The plan is supported by David Laws, a Lib Dem in charge of education as part of David Cameron’s coalition, former Labour education secretaries Alan Johnson and David Blunkett and former Tory education secretary Lord Baker. 

Kevin Courtney, co-general secretary of the National Education Union, said he supported much of the plan.

But in a sign of the resistance the government faces he added: ‘I do not think that it is sensible asking people to give up their contractual holiday. Teachers have been working really hard in this period.’ 

Most children have not been able to attend school since lockdown started in March and have instead had online classes. 

A senior source told The Times that Mr Williamson’s soft approach with the teachers’ unions had damaged his reputation.

‘Gavin played nicely with the unions in the hope that they would sign up, and they didn’t. People in there [Downing Street] know how you take on the teaching unions and beat them,’ they said.

the swipe is a reference to No10 chief Dominic Cummings’ previous role as an adviser to Michael Gove at the Department for Education, when he branded the teaching establishment ‘The Blob’ and forced through reforms. 

Mr Williamson hinted at Friday’s coronavirus briefing that the current 15-child limit on class sizes will be abandoned as he underlined the government’s determination to have ‘every child back in every year group in every school’ after the summer holidays.

Gavin Williamson (left) is said to be facing the chop in a reshuffle expected this Autumn, amid anger at the bungled reopening of schools. General secretary of the National Education Union Kevin Courtney said teachers had been ‘working hard’ and should not be told to give up their holidays

Pupils work on a task to produce artwork that depicts life during lockdown with social distancing practices in place at Greenacres Primary Academy in Oldham

He said the ‘bubbles’ would in future be expanded to ‘include the whole class’ – which would be around 30 pupils. 

But he refused to give more details, saying full guidance for schools will be published over the next fortnight.

‘There are still going to have to be protective measures put in place to make sure children are safe,’ he said.

Earlier, Mr Johnson solemnly promised that schools will return fully in September and hinted at an imminent shift on the two-metre rule – something that would delight business and Tory MPs.

An ebullient PM hailed news that the coronavirus alert level has finally been reduced from four to three, meaning the Joint Biosecurity Centre has concluded there is no longer ‘high transmission’.

Asked on a visit to a primary in Hemel Hempstead whether the restriction will be eased, Mr Johnson said: ‘Watch this space.’