School support staff fear ‘ big bang ’ return ’ to school is a safety risk

Half of school support staff ​in England ​have been anxious about the return to classrooms ​this week, with many fearing measures to keep them safe are inadequate, according to a survey published today (Friday) by UNISON. The findings provide a snapshot of the concerns of staff as schools in England reopen to all pupils. More than 8​,000 teaching assistants, cleaners, technicians, librarians, receptionists and catering staff took ​part in the poll between 26 February and 8 March. Major worries include the absence of adequate protective kit, poor social distancing and a lack of safety assessments to measure the threat staff face, especially ​given new​, more transmissible Covid variants, ​according to the survey. One in three (33%) ​were worried school ventilation systems – crucial to generating air flow to combat airborne transmission of the virus – aren’t up to the job. More than a third (35%) hadn’t seen their school’s risk assessment or received an individual safety check, ​says UNISON. Support staff are uniquely vulnerable to a Covid outbreak in schools, says UNISON. They tend to be older, are more likely to be Black and have underlying health conditions than the generally younger, teaching population, adds UNISON. These factors greatly increase their risk of being hospitalised and dying should they catch the virus, ​says UNISON. This is driving their fear of returning to school and ​is behind the des...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - Category: Food Science Authors: Tags: News Press release Jon Richards school support staff Source Type: news