Teachers are urged to give up part of summer holiday to deal with 'national emergency' as Gavin Williamson 'faces the chop' after bungling reopening

  • Former education secretaries say teachers should return early from summer holiday to prepare for new term
  • Boris Johnson's team are 'livid' with Education Secretary Gavin Williamson for bungling schools reopening
  • Plans for full return of schools in Autumn include lower social distancing alongside PPE and hand sanitiser
  • Lord Adonis, a former Labour schools minister, said: 'We did this kind of planning in the Second World War' 

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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. 

They 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. 

In other developments in the continuing coronavirus crisis today:

  • Boris Johnson is set to unveil a new 'one metre plus' rule within days and give Britons the green light for holidays and haircuts as he tries to breathe life back into the economy; 
  • Health Secretary Matt Hancock suggested that drinkers will need to register to go to pubs and order using an app when they reopen from July 4;
  • Mr Hancock has renewed his attack on Apple for blocking the failed NHS version of the contact tracing app, and refused to give a date for when the new 'hybrid' software will be up and running; 
  • The Government is planning new laws to protect British companies hit by the pandemic from takeovers by foreign companies;
  • A Mail on Sunday investigation has uncovered the chaos within the Government's 'test and trace' programme;
  • It has emerged that two rival vaccines being developed by British universities could be used together to provide lasting immunity to coronavirus.
Boris Johnson (pictured visiting a school in Hemel Hempstead on Friday) has solemnly promised that schools will return fully in September and hinted at an imminent shift on the two-metre rule

Boris Johnson (pictured visiting a school in Hemel Hempstead on Friday) has solemnly promised that schools will return fully in September and hinted at an imminent shift on the two-metre rule

People might need to register for pubs 

People might need to register before going to the pub and order drinks using an app, Matt Hancock said today. 

The Health Secretary confirmed the options are being considered as ways to make it 'safe' to reopen the hospitality industry.

Mr Hancock insisted that the government is 'on plan' to get more sectors of the economy up and running on July 4. Boris Johnson is expected to announce this week that the two-metre social distancing rule is being halved.

But he made clear that there is little chance of bars and restaurants getting back to business as usual any time soon. 

Asked on Sky News' Sophy Ridge programme whether drinkers will need to register before going to the pub, and order using an app, Mr Hancock said: 'That is the sort of thing that we are looking at for how do you make it safe to open things... I wouldn't rule it out.'  

The step - previously taken in countries such as New Zealand - would allow for easier tracing of customers if someone who went to the venue is found to have been infected. 

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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.

A Downing Street source told The Times that Mr Williamson's soft approach with the teachers' unions had damaged his reputation. The insider told the paper: '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.'
General secretary of the National Education Union Kevin Courtney (pictured) warned that two metre - or even one metre - social distancing rules mean that class sizes could need to be cut from 30 to between 15 and 17

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

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.' 

 

Holidays and haircuts from July 4: Boris Johnson to reveal new 'one-metre plus' rule this week 

Boris Johnson is set to unveil a new 'one metre plus' rule within days and give Britons the green light for holidays and haircuts as he tries to breathe life back into the economy.

The PM looks certain to halve the social distance - as long as other protections such as face coverings are used - in a crucial moment for the coronavirus battle on Tuesday. 

This next phase of lockdown loosening from July 4 will also permit hairdressers to roll up the shutters in a boost for thousands of barbers and millions of shaggy-haired Britons in need of a trim. 

The UK holiday season will start within a fortnight when the Prime Minister gives the green light to hotels and vacation parks to reopen. 

People meet up in King's Cross, London, yesterday, where a number of bars have already opened offering continental-style outdoor seating

People meet up in King's Cross, London, yesterday, where a number of bars have already opened offering continental-style outdoor seating

The reproduction rate - the average number of people each Covid-19 patient infects - is still between 0.7 and 0.9 across the UK, meaning the virus is firmly in retreat. Separate data released for the first time also claimed the UK's current growth rate - how the number of new daily cases is changing day-by-day - could be as low as minus 4 per cent. If the rate becomes greater than zero, the disease could once again spiral out of control

The reproduction rate - the average number of people each Covid-19 patient infects - is still between 0.7 and 0.9 across the UK, meaning the virus is firmly in retreat. Separate data released for the first time also claimed the UK's current growth rate - how the number of new daily cases is changing day-by-day - could be as low as minus 4 per cent. If the rate becomes greater than zero, the disease could once again spiral out of control

How could the 'one metre plus' rule work? 

An announcement of the two-metre social distancing rule is expected to be relaxed this week. 

UK Hospitality has suggested that halving the minimum gap could double the capacity of businesses to operate, while a loosening will also be welcomed by aviation and the tourism industry. 

But the government has made clear that other precautions will be needed, with inside spaces required to be well ventilated and thoroughly cleaned. 

Although few hard details are known, here is how the new arrangements could work in difference settings.  

PUBS

Drinkers would be expected to give their contact details in a register, so that they can be traced if it emerges later that someone infected was in the venue.

Customers could be advised to order using an app, stand as far apart as possible, face away from each other where they can, and prefer outside spaces.

RESTAURANTS

Tables could be closer together than two metres as long as people can face away from each other, and there may be advice for 'side-sitting' when people are dining together.

Rules could be slacker for those who dine outside.

Disposable cutlery might be needed in many restaurants, and there will be thorough cleaning in between guests.

Booking is likely to be compulsory in formal settings. 

TRAINS AND PLANES

Face coverings have already been made compulsory on public transport, with passengers who break the rules risking fines.

Reducing the minimum distance will increase the potential for trains, Tube and buses to run at higher capacity - allowing more people to go back to work.

Airlines will also benefit from lowering the spacing requirement, which they had warned could make it economically impossible to run flights. Face coverings will again be relied on to help reduce the risk of transmission, along with temperature checks.

There is the possibility that some seating could be reconfigured to limit how many people face each other, and screens could also be deployed. 

SHOPS

Perspex screens, face coverings and 'quarantine' for goods handled by customers are already being used to reduce the potential for spread.

But cutting the social distancing will benefit smaller shops in particular, and help boost footfall.

More people will be allowed in shops at once. It is also possible that browsing could be time limited to curb the length of exposure - which along with distance is a key component in spreading the virus. 

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Although Downing Street insisted no final decision has yet been taken on restarting the £130billion-a-year domestic tourism industry, The Mail on Sunday has been told an announcement could come along with the other changes. 

New advice is then likely to be sent to British tourism chiefs by the end of the week. 

Meanwhile, Chancellor Rishi Sunak is preparing another huge package of tax cuts and spending to revive UK plc after lockdown. VAT is set to be slashed as part of efforts to prop up struggling businesses and stave off mass unemployment.

As the rate of infection continues to wane, scientists have rubber-stamped the reopening salons as safe, in a change of tack cheered by the nation's 30,000 hairdressers.

'There'll be a big rush to get an appointment when this is formally announced,' a Whitehall source told the Sun, while cautioning that it will not herald a return to 'normal' as face coverings will be mandatory.  

The move comes after Britain yesterday reported 128 new coronavirus deaths, the lowest Saturday figure since lockdown was imposed in March, bringing the total to 42,589.

The UK's threat level was downgraded on Friday after scientists confirmed that the epidemic is shrinking by four per cent every day, and the reproduction R rate remained below one. Britain can also now test everyone showing symptoms.

As ministers' attention turns from wrestling down the virus to rescuing the economy, they are poised to revise the two-metre rule down to 'one-metre-plus'.

The halving permits people to keep just one metre apart as long as they take precautions such as meeting outside and with a face covering, according to the Sunday Telegraph.

Mr Johnson's relaxation of the draconian restrictions will provide a lifeline to the beleaguered holiday industry, which will open for business also on July 4 - America's Independence Day. 

But it is understood that while hotels and bed and breakfasts will be allowed to open then, tourist sites with shared facilities, such as campsites, will have to wait longer before being given the green light. 

The encouraging signs have fed a growing clamour from the tourism industry for a clear date from which it can start accepting bookings again – and clear guidance about how it will have to operate.

Millions of families are desperately waiting to find out whether they will be able to enjoy a summer holiday after spending three months in lockdown, while holiday bosses say that the limbo has cost them billions of pounds in lost revenue.

Ministers are also negotiating 'air bridges' with up ten countries, including France and Spain, to allow Britons to go abroad without being subject to the Government's controversial 14-day quarantine when they return.

A scheme to test arrivals at airports for the virus is also being piloted, which could also help end blanket restrictions.

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said Labour would support the end of the two-metre rule if other safety measures are put in place. 

He told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: 'Yes, under certain circumstances. 

'But we also need to see a greater use of face masks, I would've thought. 

'As I've said, certain staff, workers who are very public-facing in their day-to-day action, perhaps greater use of face shielding, let's get testing and tracing up and running.' 

Mr Hancock insisted that the government is 'on plan' to get more sectors of the economy up and running on July 4. 

But he made clear that there is little chance of bars and restaurants getting back to business as usual any time soon. 

Asked on Sky News' Sophy Ridge programme whether drinkers will need to register before going to the pub, and order using an app, Mr Hancock said: 'That is the sort of thing that we are looking at for how do you make it safe to open things... I wouldn't rule it out.'  

The step - previously taken in countries such as New Zealand - would allow for easier tracing of customers if someone who went to the venue is found to have been infected. 

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