To: Your local authority

We are writing to you as local National Education Union (NEU) reps.

Our members, along with other staff, are working hard in this crisis, at home and in school to meet the needs of our children and families and will continue to do so as long as this situation lasts.

We are aware that many of our families live in challenging circumstances and we want to return to school, and see the children again, as soon it is practicably safe to do so.

However, there has been some harmful speculation that schools may begin reopening in the next few weeks. In response, our union has written to the Prime Minister, asking him to end that speculation and seeking assurances about the basis on which a proposal to reopen schools will be made.

The NEU believes that it is not currently safe to reopen schools and that any plans to do so should be based on scientific evidence and modelling and fully discussed with trade unions representing school staff, nationally and locally.

As local reps, we fully support this position.

Furthermore, we believe that when the time does come to reopen schools, it should be properly planned, with staff returning first to consider what measures need to be put in place to welcome students back, and to support those young people who may well be traumatised and suffering a sense of dislocation.

We have got this far by everyone working constructively together and we hope that this will continue.

Throughout this crisis, we have followed the advice of our union, and will continue to do so. We will be willing to return to school when our union tells us that it is safe to do so.

We look forward to hearing from you about how we take these matters forward at a difficult time for all of us.

Yours sincerely,

NEU reps in your local authority area