Parents and teachers speak of anxiety as England's primary schools prepare to reopen

Parents and teachers speak of anxiety as England's primary schools prepare to reopen

Teachers and parents have shared their anxieties about the Government'sdecision to reopen most of England's primary schools on January 5.

Teachersfrom Kempsey Primary School in Worcestershire said they were worried about theimpact of the fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus in schools wherechildren do not always observe social distancing.

Headteacher Byrony Baynessaid: "We get sneezed on, coughed on, dribbled on, sicked on, snot wiped onus.

We have that on a daily basis.

"In a secondary school or furthereducation, you can maintain that two-metre distance because those childrenunderstand.

But four, five, seven-year-olds?

They don't get it." KatieHancock, whose children attend schools near Tibberton in Gloucestershire, saidthe virus left her feeling terrified about "the potential that you're sendingyour children to somewhere where they could get a deadly virus that could notonly cause them serious permanent damage, (but) potentially bring it home toyou".