We are writing as the committee of the Hertfordshire branch of the National Education Union, representing more than 11000 members working as headteachers, senior leaders, nursery nurses, teachers, and support staff in educational settings across the county.

We wish to raise our urgent and serious concern about the approach that Hertfordshire County Council is taking with the regard to the opening of nurseries and other early years provision and to demand that you change the unsafe and aggressive policies that you are pursuing.

Our concerns are not only for our members but for the children and the communities that they serve as we are entering a very serious phase of the Covid-19 pandemic. We are mindful that the new variant is particularly widespread in our region and that parts of the county have already been identified as education contingency areas.

Hertfordshire headteachers are being wilfully threatened with the withdrawal of funding if their nursery provision does not remain fully open. The letter from HCC to Hertfordshire headteachers stating this was received dated January 7. This is not the case in other local authorities, and we demand that this threat is immediately withdrawn in Hertfordshire.

Early years settings are being required to open fully whereas other primary classes are not. We do not believe that Hertfordshire County Council can demonstrate that the risks associated with young children being in nursery classes are less than for children just a few months older in reception classes. We note that Professor Semple, virologist and SAGE member, has stated: “It may be that a political decision has been made here that nurseries are essential, but it’s not a scientific one.”

Our schools have followed Hertfordshire County Council risk assessment guidance for staff and students in schools and nurseries. Early Years practitioners are inevitably closer to children when they carry out their work so the risks associated with transmission are higher than in other settings and yet those schools are closed to most students.

We know that, normally, the best place for all children to be is in school but, in the current emergency, situation nursery opening must be within safe opening limits and in line with that of other education settings. This should be minimal and for only vulnerable children and those of key workers where no other childcare is possible.

The NEU are willing to work with the Local Authority in order to make nurseries, primaries, and special schools safe. However, we reserve the right to take collective action when all avenues have been exhausted.

Joyce Field and Barhey Singh

Joint branch secretaries, NEU Hertfordshire