Kids could be forced to work remotely as gloomy school bosses ‘plan for the worst’ with staff shortages

KIDS could be forced to work from home as gloomy school bosses “plan for the worst” due to Covid-related staff shortages.

Boris Johnson is “absolutely determined” to keep every school in Britain open amid spiralling cases of the Omicron variant.

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But miserable headteachers’ unions bosses claim a lack of staff due to Covid self-isolation means kids might have to go back to computer-based learning at home.

Remote teaching could be put in place without any country-wide lockdown restrictions mandating it, they warned.

Their warnings follow a string of hugely positive studies which show Omicron IS milder than other strains, with the first official UK report revealing the risk of hospitalisation is 50 to 70 per cent lower than with Delta.

Covid booster jabs protect against Omicron and offer the best chance to get through the pandemic, health officials have repeatedly said.

The Sun’s Jabs Army campaign is helping get the vital extra vaccines in Brits’ arms to ward off the need for any new restrictions.

Even so, in a nightmare move for working parents, schools have already sorted out worst-case-scenario plans should too many teaching staff be sick or self-isolating.

Certain primary and secondary schools have sent kids home armed with textbooks and laptops just in case they do their own self-prescribed shutdown.

Alternative plans would see only pupils in years 11 and 13 allowed to stay in the classroom – with everyone else sent away.

Any disruption to teaching is likely until at least Easter – and retired teachers are being urged to return to work to help fill in.

General Secretary of the headteachers’ union ASCL Geoff Barton told The Daily Mail: “Schools should be the very last thing that closes in any further restrictions. But words aren’t enough.

“The Government must back up this aim with material support to minimise transmission of the virus. 

“Otherwise the danger is that there simply won’t be enough staff available to keep schools fully open.

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His NAHT counterpart Paul Whiteman added: “It does seem as though choppy waters lie ahead and that some form of disruption at the start of next term is looking sadly inevitable…

“It would be naïve to pretend that Omicron won’t have an impact.”

Any move to shut schools would be a blow to the PM and Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi, as a source told The Sunday Times: “There is a shared commitment across government to make sure they stay open.”

Last week, The Sun exclusively reported that there’s trouble ahead.

Primary schools in villages and small towns are especially at risk of teacher shortages, given they have small numbers of staff, it’s reported.

Government officials have repeatedly refused to guarantee schools will remain open to youngsters in the new year, although the PM is reportedly “absolutely determined” to send kids back in January.

BLOW FOR PARENTS

Mr Johnson will today meet with medical advisers Professor Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance to trawl through new numbers on Covid rates in Omicron ground-zero London.

While a post-meeting announcement is expected, Mr Johnson is unlikely to recall Parliament to rubberstamp legally-binding lockdown restrictions such as the loathed Rule of Six, sources claim.

This means that the introduction of restrictions that would leave Brits’ much-anticipated New Year’s Eve plans ruined – such as a ban on indoor drinking or the dreaded Rule of Six – will be guidance, and not enforceable by cops.

However, important events – including marriages – will be excluded from any guidelines no matter what, The Times reports.

There will also be no changes to the numbers allowed to attend funerals or births.

In April, the Queen sat alone as she said goodbye to her husband of 73 years, while in 2020, the funeral of 13-year-old Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab was held without any of his family present.

Weddings and funerals are already continuing unhindered in Wales and Scotland, where tougher rules came into force on Boxing Day.