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Sir Keir Starmer today refused to tell teaching unions to step up their efforts to help reopen the nation's schools as Gavin Williamson said parents who refuse to send their children back to the classroom will face fines.
The Labour leader accused ministers of being 'asleep at the wheel' over the delayed return of schools as he claimed there had been a 'total lack of planning'.
He said the swift construction of Nightingale emergency hospitals during the coronavirus crisis showed ministers could have established temporary classrooms if they had wanted to and Crystal Holidays Travel that all children should already have been back.
But he risked accusations of hypocrisy as he declined to instruct unions to reduce their opposition to the Government's reopening plans.
Asked if he was willing to tell unions it is safe for children to go back to school and that they should 'get on and help' make it happen, he appeared to dodge the question as he said: 'I want as many children back in school as swiftly as possible and let responsibility lie where it should lie here.'
His comments came as Mr Williamson, the Education Secretary, said parents could be fined if they do not send their children back to school.
He also announced this morning he will publish a plan this week setting out how he intends to get every pupil in England back in the classroom in September.
It came as Boris Johnson unveiled a decade-long schools rebuilding strategy which will see £1 billion injected into new construction work and another £560 million into school repairs.
Sir Keir later joined a games lesson during a visit to Torriano School in Camden, north London
The Labour leader said that 'had there been work on this from the day the schools closed down, I genuinely think we could have had all our children back in school by now'
The Labour leader accused ministers of being 'asleep at the wheel' over the delayed return of schools as he claimed there had been a 'total lack of planning'.
He said the swift construction of Nightingale emergency hospitals during the coronavirus crisis showed ministers could have established temporary classrooms if they had wanted to and Crystal Holidays Travel that all children should already have been back.
But he risked accusations of hypocrisy as he declined to instruct unions to reduce their opposition to the Government's reopening plans.
Asked if he was willing to tell unions it is safe for children to go back to school and that they should 'get on and help' make it happen, he appeared to dodge the question as he said: 'I want as many children back in school as swiftly as possible and let responsibility lie where it should lie here.'
His comments came as Mr Williamson, the Education Secretary, said parents could be fined if they do not send their children back to school.
He also announced this morning he will publish a plan this week setting out how he intends to get every pupil in England back in the classroom in September.
It came as Boris Johnson unveiled a decade-long schools rebuilding strategy which will see £1 billion injected into new construction work and another £560 million into school repairs.
Sir Keir later joined a games lesson during a visit to Torriano School in Camden, north London
The Labour leader said that 'had there been work on this from the day the schools closed down, I genuinely think we could have had all our children back in school by now'
