TEACHERS are being told to ignore government guidance and enforce tougher Covid rules in schools.
Staff should stagger start times, reintroduce bubbles, not mix classes if there are absences and continue using PCR tests, the National Education Union has insisted.
That all contradicts ministers’ advice. Meanwhile, government insiders say there is no plan to toughen the rules.
It came as more than of England’s schools are already having to call in supply teachers because so many staff are off sick with Covid.
A poll of 2,000 headteachers found that just days into the new term many are struggling to staff their classes.
The National Association of Headteachers, who carried out the poll, warned that the “worrying” problem is so bad many schools are already “teetering on the edge” of closure.
Paul Whiteman, NAHT general secretary said: “Given that this is a snapshot of just the first day of term, this is a very worrying picture.
“Many schools are teetering on the edge and the next few weeks at least will undoubtedly continue to be an incredibly challenging time.”
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