Teachers and pupils will be placed at “unnecessary risk” unless the government publishes all available data on the growth and spread of the Covid-19 Indian variant in schools, a union has warned.
The NASUWT teaching union says Public Heath England is “withholding crucial information” about the new variant, which is becoming dominant in more regions of England and is more transmissible than the previous Kent variant.
The warning follows suggestions in the Observer newspaper over the weekend that Downing Street “leaned on” Public Health England not to publish the data - just days before Boris Johnson said that face coverings would no longer be a requirement in schools.
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NASUWT general secretary Patrick Roach said: “Teachers, school leaders and parents will want to know why Public Health England is withholding crucial information on the spread of the coronavirus ‘Indian variant’, known as B.1.617.2, in schools.
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“The latest data that has been released shows the variant becoming dominant in more regions of England and more transmissible than the previous ‘Kent variant’.
“Because of this deeply concerning situation, safety measures in schools are vitally important and schools and colleges must do everything they can to make sure all essential and appropriate mitigations are in place.
“Where vital information regarding the spread in schools of variants is not being shared, school and college risk assessments will not be worth the paper they are printed on and pupils and staff will potentially be placed at unnecessary risk.
“The government has said that it is committed to transparency. Ministers need to answer whether this information will be shared immediately with local employers and school workforce unions and if not, why not.”
A spokesperson for Public Health England said: “PHE is working towards publication of data on variants linked to schools and aim to publish in due course.”
The Department for Education has been contacted for comment.
