Mansfield MP Ben Bradley blames unions and diocese for forcing primary schools to stay shut

We can’t stay locked down forever and we have to protect people’s livelihoods and mental health, but we also must ensure that we don’t see a spike in cases of coronavirus.

That’s why it is so important that people stick to the advice over the coming weeks.

From this week you can meet friends and family in your garden our elsewhere outdoors, socially distanced in groups of up to six.

That’s a big step back towards normality.

We’ll also see more shops opening, with dentists coming on June 8 and the rest of retail on June 15, all being well.

Another major change was that many primary school children were due to go back to school this week.

It’s been controversial for some, but I fully subscribe to the view that the best place for children – particularly the most vulnerable – is in school.

I felt the Government had taken entirely the right approach by saying that school leaders should look to open, but that they ultimately had the power to decide what was possible within their school, thus giving schools control.

For that reason I was hugely frustrated to find that last weekend, just days before many were due to go back, pressure from unions and the CofE diocese led many schools to cancel plans to open at the last minute.

This has taken that control away from schools and head teachers, and instead imposed a blanket decision on hundreds of schools in a way that I think is totally wrong.

Teachers have been working throughout to look after the children of key workers and try to keep in touch with their school communities at home.

They should have the final say over whether and how they open.

It should not be taken out of their hands by pressure from above in the way that it has been.

My own kids were among those who had their school return cancelled on Sunday, which left parents up in arms and many kids disappointed.

I’m in touch with the diocese about this and am urging them to give the power back to the schools, and to let them decide for themselves.

Ben Bradley is MP for Mansfield.