All schools in England should remain closed and education be delivered remotely for the start of the spring term, three major teaching unions have said.

The National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) and the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) joined the National Education Union (NEU) in calling for a move to remote education for primary and secondary schools across the country.

The move has deepened the crisis facing Gavin Willimson, the Education Secretary, following a series of U-turns which prompted claims that his department's response to coronavirus has been chaotic.

Dr Patrick Roach, the NASUWT general secretary, has written to Mr Williamson calling for all schools to be closed as the "only sensible and credible option at this time to minimise the risks to those working in schools and to safeguard public health".

The letter says: "The NASUWT recognises that schools and college employers have been placed in a situation where the wrong decision will result in people becoming seriously ill and dying, and will, therefore, appreciate that there can be no compromise on health and safety. 

Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/01/02/schools-should-stay-closed-classes-delivered-remotely-start/

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