A teachers’ leader has called for headteachers to be trusted to make local decisions about temporary class closures after education secretary Nadhim Zahawi said school leaders should call on ex-teachers to help cover staff shortages caused by Covid-19.

Dame Alison Peacock, the chief executive at the Chartered College for Teaching, warned it will take several weeks to carry out safeguarding checks on any such new staff and that, instead, the government must trust heads to be able to make decisions about when a move to remote learning will be needed amid staff shortages.

She said: “We are grateful to the Department for Education for encouraging ex-teachers to re-join the profession and swell the ranks of temporary supply staff at a time when it’s needed.

“However, it will take several weeks to ensure that all safeguarding checks are in place. These are weeks that school leaders do not have if they are to enjoy any form of break over Christmas.  

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“It would be far better if school leaders were trusted by the government to make local decisions about temporary class closures, providing opportunities for children and young people to engage with remote learning via Oak National Academy or through their own local provision.” 

The comments came today after an email sent to heads by Mr Zahawi said: “We know that in areas with high absence a particular issue can be the availability of supply staff.

“We want to make sure that as many supply staff as possible are available to schools and colleges.”

Mr Zahawi also told school leaders to encourage those on their networks to sign up.

It also comes after Robert Halfon, chair of the Commons Education Select Committee, asked the government why there was not an “army of retired teachers” ready to support schools during the pandemic.

In an urgent question in the House of Commons yesterday, he said that “despite government assurances, it seems to me we are moving sadly towards de facto school closures” because of Covid absence.

The most recent attendance data shows an increase of almost 30,000 pupils off because of Covid related reasons.

An estimated 236,000 pupils were off because of Covid on 9 December up from 208,000 two weeks earlier.