It is 'common sense' that schools should not be forced to take pupils back, says the chairman of the Kent Association of Head Teachers.

Alan Brookes was reacting to news that the government has changed its policy on reopening primary schools to children from all year groups.

Last Monday, some schools in Kent welcomed back children in reception, Year 1 and Year 6.

The government had hoped that youngsters in the other year groups would receive at least four weeks of schooling before the summer break.

But Education Secretary Gavin Williamson announced this afternoon that schools were "not able to welcome all primary children back for a full month before the summer", adding that he would still like to see those schools which had the capacity to bring back more children "if they were able before the holidays".

Mr Brookes said: "I think it's common sense. The commitment they made some weeks ago to suggest primary schools could accommodate all pupils was never likely to be practicable.

"It's simple mathematics. If you're saying the maximum class size is 15 - a lot of primaries taking just Year R, 1 and 6 cannot do the necessary distancing, so are down to eight, nine or 10, because of the size of the rooms.

"You would need at least twice as many classrooms and twice as many staff. Schools cannot do that.

"We're seeing increasing numbers of key worker and vulnerable children and in some cases schools are struggling. It has been a challenge."

Mr Brookes, who is executive head teacher at Fulston Manor in Sittingbourne, said most primaries in Kent were "over-full" anyway and were using "older buildings".

"It was never going to happen. The only way was if by some miracle the pandemic disappeared and social distancing was gone.

"If they had spent more time consulting with heads and schools before make pronouncements they would be less likely to be in a position where they appear to be backtracking.

"You can catch up on education, you cannot catch up on a life."

"They are in a position where they should be feeling a little embarrassed. It was never possible."

He said teachers were desperate for children to return but not if that meant them going home and infecting relatives with Covid-19.

"You can catch up on education, you cannot catch up on a life," he added.

Mr Brookes said the situation had highlighted the gap between the children from more deprived backgrounds and those from the "upper echelons of society".

"We need a plan (in place) over the next months and years to close that gap."

Commenting on the announcement, Danielle Egonu, head of Temple Hill in Dartford, the largest primary school in Kent, with 933 pupils on its role, said: "It's nice that the Government has finally acknowledged what we already knew.

"You can't duplicate a building overnight. If they're expecting us to reduce class sizes, it would be impossible, unless they changed the guidance to no social distancing.

"It would have been really fantastic had they consulted with head teachers."

Temple Hill is welcoming reception, Year 1 and Year 6 children back in phases, having had at least 45 vulnerable or key worker children throughout lockdown.

They are being taught in a "bubble" of eight to 10 pupils. "I don't know where the Government got the measurements for classrooms from," said Ms Egonu. "But they were not realistic."

At Wouldham Primary School, near Rochester, head Carl Fitter condemned the Government's original plan.

"It was never going to happen anyway," he said. "To have all the classes at half size, it means you need double the classrooms and double the teachers.

"Physically the space is not there and the personnel is not there."

Parents had mostly been understanding, said Mr Fitter. "Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate more than we can physically manage. A few parents are upset and frustrated but we understand that.

"We would jump at the chance to get the whole school back in action but that means the world would need to return to normal and that doesn't look as though it's just around the corner."

He said 35 of his Year 6 pupils had returned, which at 73% was a high proportion.

"We have bottles of hand sanitiser spray everywhere," he added. "Washing hands before and after they go to the loo is taking some getting used to though."

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