Barriers

So, after six months away from the classroom, this week it is finally time for schools to open their doors again to entire cohorts and attempt to regain some normality.    Although there is understandably some anxiety still lurking in the air, it’s clear that we can’t keep young people at home any longer.  

The challenge to schools to adhere to government guidelines and keep everyone safe whilst doing their job normally and ensuring students get the high quality teaching that they deserve after months away will be no mean feat.  For the first time in twelve years, my usual back to school anxiety was missing on Sunday night.  In its place, a feeling which I’m not quite able to explain yet but one thing I have to say is that I am not envious of my friends who returned to work yesterday to be greeted by restriction, separation and face masks.  It is certainly going to be difficult over the coming weeks but this week, my mind has been wandering to the impending greater difficulties that are going to appear in two months time.

Only weeks after the uproar caused by the A Level and BTEC results moderation process, there appears to be another government blunder when it comes to young people and once again I am left stunned by some of their decisions during this unprecedented year, this time, driven by money. Whilst I completely understand the enormous pressure that coronavirus has put on the economy, I just can’t fathom why time and time again it seems to be the most in need who are being given the hardest time.

So I’m here for my next rant.  

Last month the government announced that they would be putting a temporary ban on free travel for under 18s as part of an agreement with TfL to cover the funding package that they were given earlier this year to help deal with the impact of Covid.  So the time has finally come for children to get back to school and already they are being provided with their first obstacle.

There are many issues with this decision but let’s start with the problematic use of the word “temporary”.   Anyone else feel as though it seems to provide the government with a get out of jail free card to avoid committing to how long this might go on for?   In what can only be described as a perfunctory gesture in response to much criticism at the decision, the government have delayed the halt to free travel from the originally intended September the 6th start date to immediately after the October half term. But really all this is doing is delaying the inevitable stress that will be caused for the thousands of children who are simply not going to be able to afford to get to school.

But this isn’t the only issue.  The specificities of the ban that they have outlined also seem very odd and undoubtedly problematic once it comes into force later this year.  Travel will remain free for under 11s, pretty futile in my view, as the majority of primary school children live within reasonable walking distance of their schools - just to remind you Boris, that’s how catchment areas work. And whilst they have announced that children who have a “dangerous walking route” will be exempt, how exactly are they going to monitor or approve that? Those with a health condition or who are on benefits are also exempt which is great but there is a whole group of young people who are being forgotten about who won’t be eligible for exemption on these grounds but who perhaps still come from a low income household where every penny counts and for them this could be catastrophic.

Supposedly those who live more than two miles from their school will also be exempt. To walk two miles takes approximately 45 minutes to one hour, which would be  a long walk at 7:30 in the morning, especially in the depths of winter, which, if 2020s antics so far are anything to go by is surely going to be our coldest one yet.  This is a decision which I wholeheartedly support.  But I can’t help but feel that this is also going to be a difficult rule to monitor.  What happens if you live 1.95 miles away from your school?  Then is it deemed acceptable to walk for an hour every morning even though if you lived 0.05 miles further away, that would be too far?  And how is it going to be calculated?  Is it going to be another flawed Department for Education computer programme?  Because I really don’t think any of us can take a second one this year.

I understand that we are in a recession and the government needs to both make and save money wherever it can to stop the economy from collapsing but let’s give young people and their worried parents a break can’t we?  Couldn’t they at least come up with a solution that gives young people the opportunity to take five return journeys during term time for free so that they could at least have peace of mind knowing that they can get into school and home again without complication?  Introducing more barriers to this when it is more important than ever that children get back to school just can’t be a good idea.

If you would like to sign the petition to reverse this decision, it can be found here.  As adults who most likely take for granted the fact that we can generally afford to get to our place of work, I would urge you to consider signing and helping our young people, who have already had such upheaval so far this year.