The reduction of the Covid isolation period “doesn’t solve” the staff shortage problem being seen in schools, the NAHT school leaders’ union has warned.
Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday, the health secretary Sajid Javid said the government would reduce the minimum self-isolation period to five full days in England from Monday, and the Department for Health and Social Care confirmed to Tes that the rule change would apply in school settings.
But James Bowen, director of policy at the NAHT, said that, while the new rules could “very slightly reduce the pressure on schools”, the only way to properly resolve the problem would be to reduce the number of people catching the virus.
The announcement comes a week after a survey by the union revealed that more than a third of heads have over one in 10 staff off work.
Rule change ‘doesn’t solve’ staffing shortages
Mr Bowen said: “It should go without saying that people who have symptoms or who are unwell should not be attending school. Guidance on the length of isolation times must be firmly rooted in science and we’d expect the government to listen carefully to its medical advisors when making these changes.
“A shorter isolation period could very slightly reduce the pressure on schools when it comes to staff absences, but clearly it doesn’t solve the problem if you have multiple staff all off isolating at the same time.
“The only way to truly resolve the problem of staff shortages in schools is to reduce the number of people getting sick.”
Worry about teachers returning before they’re fully fit
In further reaction to the changes, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, has said that school leaders will be concerned that the rule changes may mean staff returning to the classroom before they’re “fully fit to do so”.
“Any easing of Covid restrictions that helps schools and colleges get absent teachers back into the classroom more quickly is certain to be welcomed by leaders, but they will be concerned by the prospect of them returning before they are fully fit to do so and the potential for further spreading of the virus among students and staff.
“Schools and colleges need reassurance from the government that its decision to reduce the self-isolation period to five days is not a knee-jerk reaction and is backed by robust scientific and public health advice.”
What are the new rules?
Explaining the rule changes to MPs on Thursday, health secretary Sajid Javid said: “After reviewing all of the evidence, we’ve made the decision to reduce the minimum self-isolation period to five full days in England.
“These two tests are critical to these balanced and proportionate plans and I’d urge everyone to take advantage of the capacity we’ve built up in tests so we can restore more freedom to this country, while we are keeping everyone safe.”
The Department for Health and Social Care confirmed to Tes that the new rule would apply in school settings.
But it stressed that people would only be able to leave self-isolation after five full days if they tested negative for the virus via lateral flow tests on consecutive days, starting no earlier than day five of their self-isolation period. This means the earliest someone could leave isolation would be day six.
In December, the self-isolation period was reduced from ending on day 10 to day seven, as long as negative lateral flow results were taken 24 hours apart on days six and seven.
