I have offered this letter template on a couple of threads and other forums but I cant keep up with demand! So here is a letter template which you can adapt for your own circumstances and email/post to Gavin Williamson. Let's bombard his inbox. Let's topple our own statue (but because we are parents we are doing it responsibly, obviously!)
Stand up for your children. No one else will.
Most of this letter template came from the wonderfully clever @weepinggreenwillow, so I can't claim ownership on these fabulous words however I have adapted it slightly.
9 June 2020
Dear Mr Williamson,
In these challenging times I feel I need to contact you, in your capacity as Secretary of State for Education to request your help to address a matter of urgency. I would like to know what the Government is planning to do regarding the current breach of Protocol 1, Article 2 of the Human Rights Act which states that, “No person shall be denied the right to an education.”
As an example, I have a 7 old child who is in Year 2 at a local State primary. He has not received an education since March 17th of this year. The school have provided some work online to download and complete at home but I can assure you this does not in any way constitute an education. Schools are extremely inconsistent in their approach to home schooling with some offering live lessons via Zoom or Google classroom but many more offering a handful of printed worksheets with no feedback loop to teachers. During June, many Primary schools are not even able to bring back the full complement of year groups suggested by Government, let alone any children in Years 2 to 5. There are simply not the number of teachers or the space required for social distancing.
Whilst I fully understand the many implications of this unprecedented pandemic and I also appreciate the need for school closures to relieve initial pressure on the NHS, this situation is now becoming untenable and unsustainable. I am concerned that there seems to be no clear plan in place for a return to education for September 2020. Part time learning mixed with home schooling is being suggested as a solution for many schools. By September most workplaces will be looking for employees to return to their usual job roles and hours, it is simply not possible to home school (especially for those with two or more children) or for parents to manage part time hours at school.
Children across the country are suffering massively. The many vulnerable children and those living in poverty are being placed at risk of permanent harm. The impacts of this on young people’s mental health will be felt for many years to come. There is a growing feeling from parents that children and young people have been ‘thrown under the bus’ in this situation, especially considering that they are at the very lowest risk from Covid-19 of all the groups in society.
A child’s right to an education is a basic human right. I understand why this has been temporarily suspended in these circumstances however the return of this right should be of utmost priority, second only to the health service. I would remind you of the concept of Proportionality which applies when a basic convention is interfered with. This states that, “Interference with a Convention Right must not be excessive, arbitrary or unfair, or to have too severe an impact on a particular group or individual.” I would argue that interference with this human right is having a severe impact on the nation’s children. I would also suggest that currently the interference seems to be both unfair and arbitrary. How is it fair that some children are receiving the opportunity of going to school due to their date of birth or their parent’s jobs whilst other remain at home with little support from schools?
I am not unaware of the many challenges involved in bringing children to school safely in September but the apparent lack of planning and problem solving that seems to be happening in the Government is shocking. Creative strategies have been quickly applied within the NHS (for example Nightingale Hospitals) and businesses have been expected to quickly pivot to survive, however no such creative problem-solving strategies are being employed to secure our children’s futures. It would certainly seem that the nation’s children and young people are a very low priority for the Government, certainly coming behind strategies to safely open flat pack furniture stores and beer gardens.
So please can you urgently raise with your colleagues how this Government plans to respond to this ongoing breach of a child’s basic right to an education.
Yours Sincerely
(your name and contact details hre)
Email for Mr Williamson: [email protected]
Find your MP here: members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP
Come on parents! The time is now.....
Pease remember to be respectful to the Rt Hon Member of Parliament or local MP.