The government has been urged to reconsider current plans and allow adult education providers to open.

In a letter to education secretary Gavin Williamson, Sue Pember, Holex director of policy; Mark Dawe, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers; and David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges, write that “providers had drafted their safety-first opening plans, developed their risk registers, ordered their signage and PPE [personal protective equipment] and were ready to start to bring back those adult students who were struggling with the digital offer or needed to complete assessments”.

They say that providers are struggling with the “Covid-19 policy inconsistencies” and cannot see why their offer “is seen to be less safe than others”, including teenagers returning to school, adults playing sport, libraries offering support to the public or pubs having groups of six and up to 30 inside with the appropriate social distancing protections in place.

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“We would ask that you reconsider your position and allow safe opening for adult education and skills immediately,” they write.

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The authors stress that “adult education services/centres, independent providers and colleges have moved to online provision in a remarkable way”. “However, they are keen to open their buildings now in a safe way because they want to serve their communities and employers, and start to reskill individuals to support the economic recovery plans.”

Last week, it was announced that schools and colleges should prepare for a full reopening from September.

The letter in full