Labour's education chief, Bridget Phillipson, has expressed concern that the effects of lockdown on children are long-lasting and continue to affect them today. She has pledged that schools will be the last to close in any future emergency.
Classroom closures cause lasting damage
Phillipson criticized the decision to reopen pubs before schools, calling it "unforgivable." She believes that the closure of schools did lasting damage to children and described the decision to reopen pubs first as a failure.
Schools should be last to close and first to open
If she becomes Secretary of State for Education, Phillipson promises that schools will be the last to close and the first to open in any future national crisis. She believes that ministers failed children during the pandemic and that their failure continues to haunt us.
Accusations of hypocrisy
However, Phillipson has been accused of hypocrisy by the Tories, who claim that Labour opposed efforts to reopen schools. In June 2020, Phillipson expressed doubt about the safety of sending children back to school.
Support from former catchup tsar
Labour received a boost when Boris Johnson's former catchup tsar, Kevan Collins, endorsed their plans to reopen schools. Over 20% of pupils in England are considered persistently absent, missing 10% or more of their lessons.
Labour's plans to address school absences
Phillipson outlined Labour's plans to create a national register for home-schooled pupils to ensure that no child falls through the cracks. She also emphasized that parents should not take their children out of school for non-essential reasons such as holidays.
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