1/ While we wait for the govt’s #lockdown announcement, here are some thoughts from gen sec @PaulWhiteman6 first published in @Telegraph

“Making the announcement is the easy part. The hard part is convincing people that a return to school is the right thing to do.”

2/ “For this next phase to be a success, we’ll require unprecedented levels of cooperation between schools and families. Whatever the government chooses to announce, it has not yet built the confidence of parents or the profession that it is safe to go back.” #COVID19

3/ “Families want to know that it is safe for their children. Until that is made clear, many will choose to keep their children away, regardless of what the government says, and they should not be blamed for taking that decision.”

4/ “For schools, it is about clear and unambiguous guidance that will take account of schools’ different circumstances and contexts. There should be no grey areas in terms of what schools are expected to do.”

5/ “Leaving difficult choices up to school leaders who do not have access to the scientific advice would be an unreasonable burden to put on their shoulders. The situation is difficult enough.”

6/ “We must have proper instructions to follow at the moment the relaxation of the #lockdownuk is announced. It will be no good spending the period prior to readmitting more pupils waiting for the guidance to arrive, only to find that it is unworkable.”

7/ “The government should be wary of any measures it expects schools to take that could put families and schools in a position where they are potentially at odds with one another, which is exactly the opposite of what we need right now."

8/ “Schools must not be asked to issue fines or take heavy handed measures to make parents send their children back to school before they are comfortable.

And, lastly...

9/ “Overwhelmingly schools already have excellent bonds of trust with parents. But the govt must not take this for granted in any way, or leave schools and families exposed by a lack of clarity, because this next phase will test these relationships to the full.” @PaulWhiteman6