Brighton and Hove primary schools have been told to move to online learning when term starts again on Monday, as covid cases continue to rise.
The rate for the city to December 30 is now 492.4 – with a peak of 341 cases on 29 December. The rate has increased almost 60% from the previous seven day period. These figures are likely to go up as more cases are recorded against those dates.
This afternoon, Brighton and Hove City Council held an emergency meeting and has now announced it is advising all its schools to implement remote learning.
As before, vulnerable children and the children of key workers should still be able to attend in person.
Within minutes of the announcement, local primary schools were emailing parents to tell them they were not going to be opening.
One school told parents to expect learning to move online for at least two weeks.
Another asked key workers to only send in children if there was no other possible childcare available – for instance, from a non-keyworker parent – in order to minimise risk.
A third reassured parents that schools are in a much better position to provide home learning than when the March lockdown started.
The council is not advising secondaries to change from the current arrangements, for years 11 and 13 to return on January 11 and other years on January 18, after mass testing.
Nurseries are also being advised to open, in line with government guidance.
Councillor Hannah Clare, Chair of the Children, Young People and Skills Committee said: “As a council, we want all schools to be fully open. However, we need to keep children, school staff and the wider community as safe as possible.
“Therefore, Cllr Phélim Mac Cafferty as leader of the council, has today written to Gavin Williamson, the Secretary of State for Education to ask him to include primary schools in Brighton & Hove in the list of schools that have moved to remote learning.
“Because of this belief, we have also written to primary schools in our city to advise them that we believe they should move to remote learning until Monday, 18 January.
“Our published data – up to 27 December – shows that the rate the rate in Brighton and Hove has increased by more than 500 per cent since we came out of lock down at the beginning of December. It is currently 388 per 100,000.
“However, the early indications are that this sharp increase is continuing and we will approach rates of approximately 500 per 100,000 in the next few days.
“This rapid increase is mirrored in the rates in our children and young people. The city’s all ages pattern is similar to that previously seen in urban areas of Kent and East Sussex
Let’s just forget their education and understanding of life. That way they’ll only have the intelligence to be a Green councillor or work for the council..
I see their plan.
Couldn’t agree more! They’ve completely ignored children’s mental health and future prospect to protect a limited number of elderly people.
“Limited number of elderly people” thats nice…
They are being much more decisive and forward thinking than central government- well done Brighton and Hove!
Of cause our left-wing council wants them shut – its because our right-wing government want them open. There’s no thought process just a knee jerk reaction.