Greenwich council backs down in government row over school closures
The leader of a London borough has said he has “no choice” but to reverse a decision to close schools following legal threats from the government.
Greenwich council leader Danny Thorpe said he “cannot agree that this is the correct choice for our schools”, but added: “I cannot justify the use of public funds to fight the decision in courts”.
On Sunday, Thorpe ordered all schools in the London borough to shut immediately and move to online learning in a bid to curb rising Covid rates.
However, the council was last night slapped with legal threats from education secretary Gavin Williamson for schools in the area to stay open.
Williamson issued a “temporary continuity direction” to Greenwich council, marking the first time emergency coronavirus legislation has been used to ensure face-to-face teaching during the pandemic.
Islington has also ordered its schools to shut, though the government has not yet launched legal action against the north London borough.
Williamson said: “It is simply not in children’s best interests for schools in Greenwich, Islington or elsewhere to close their doors. I have always been clear that using legal powers is a last resort but continuity of education is a national priority.
“That’s why I won’t hesitate to do what is right for young people and have issued a direction to Greenwich council setting out that they must withdraw the letter issued to headteachers on Sunday.”
Speaking to the BBC this morning, chief secretary to the Treasury Steve Barclay, said: “We want to keep schools open and we will look at what measures are required to do so.
“That is the medical advice from the chief medical officer, and we will use whatever powers are necessary to do so.”
All schools in England are due to break up for the Christmas holidays on Thursday. But data from Public Health England showing 10 to 19-year-olds may be behind a recent surge in infections in the southeast of the country has cranked up pressure for the government to bring forward the end of term.
In a letter to Boris Johnson yesterday, mayor of London Sadiq Khan said “urgent consideration must… be given to closing secondary schools, sixth form and FE colleges a few days early and keeping them closed for longer after Christmas”.
“Time is running out to get the virus under control in our city which is why I urge the government to heed my call and provide us with the extra support we desperately need,” Khan added.
The capital has seen a major spike in new cases recently, with daily infections tipping past the 4,000 mark over the last few days.
London’s seven-day rate has exceeded 200 cases per 100,000 people in 17 boroughs, meaning the capital now has the highest infection rate in the country.
Greenwich has reported a huge surge in cases over the past few days, with a further 182 infections bringing its total number of cases to 5,778 since the start of the pandemic.
A spokesperson for the Department for Education said it was “vital” that children remain in school until the end of term to avoid further disruption for students.
“Schools, colleges and early years settings across the country have worked tremendously hard to put protective measures in place that are helping reduce the risk of the virus being transmitted,” they added.