London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

Headteacher tells parents 'I'd rather your children retake a year than die'

A head teacher has sent a brutally honest letter to parents warning them there is ‘no such thing as social distancing in a primary school’.
Howard Fisher, the head of St George’s Church of England Primary School in Sheerness, spoke about his fears of accepting some pupils back amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

He even went as far as saying he’d rather children ‘repeat an academic year then go back too soon, and for parents not to lose a child.’

The letter has been shared to the school’s Facebook page, where it has received an outpouring of support.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out the proposal, labelled Our Plan to Rebuild, on Monday, after saying he expects early years, reception and year 1 children to return to school from June 1.

This conditional ‘roadmap’ is based on the R – the rate of infection – continuing to stay under one, which is billed as a manageable margin for the NHS.

For the past week, it has been recorded as being between 0.5 and 0.9, so just under one, but the death toll is still at a worrying rate.

Mr Fisher told parents and guardians that in 15 years of leadership, he has learnt that being truthful and expecting the ‘worst case scenario’ had served him well.

So he continued by slamming the government announcement, saying he heard ‘nothing that would put his mind at rest’ in regards to having four, five, six and 11-year-olds back in the school environment.

‘Social distancing in a school does not exist, and would never exist’

The letter, dated May 11, said: ‘We have no plans sent from the government before the announcement last night.

‘No doubt they will arrive this week suggesting social distancing, less pupils in school, splitting them up, staggered lunches and drop offs, etc.

‘I can be truthful here and categorically tell you there is no such thing as social distancing in a school; it does not exist and would never exist.

‘The reason childhood illnesses spread in a school is surprise, surprise, we are all in contact with each other.

‘I can put two children in opposite classrooms and they will still get chicken pox because that’s how it is in a school. This virus we are lead to believe is a super spreader.’

Since then, the government has published a report of how it sees schools functioning from June 1.

It cements Mr Fishers’ predictions, and encourages staggered break times, drop offs and pick-ups, and reducing numbers in classrooms.

It also asks teachers to encourage regular 20 second handwashing, and for cleaning regimes to be ramped up.

Parents who choose not to send their child into school due to fears they will contract coronavirus will not be fined, it has since emerged.

Mr Fishers’ letter continued: ‘There will be some of you that say, ‘let’s just get on with it,’ I respect that, but get on with what?

‘There is not a reliable test, a vaccine, an idea about what to do next, there is just the possibility that things will be ok; that’s all we have at the moment and ‘ok’ is not good enough when it comes to the precious gift that is your child.’

The government policy says it has chosen to proceed with this measure because the scientific evidence shows it is the right time.

Among the list of reasons, it says there is ‘high scientific confidence’ that children of all ages have less symptoms than adults if they contract the virus.

It continues to say that there is a ‘moderately high scientific confidence’ that younger children are less likely to become unwell if they do get infected.

The evidence also suggests that limiting the number of children going back and then gradually increasing this number reduces the rate of transmission.

But Mr Fisher said a ‘sensible and rational debate around better solutions’ is missing.

He said: ‘Believe me, I would rather any child repeats a year than go back too soon and have to lose a child; why is this not in the national debate; because it will cost money!

‘So parents, what can you do next? Well, all I can do is pass onto you information when we have it and you can make your own decision.

‘Parent power is quite something when it is applied nationally; perhaps you too have some great ideas that can be brought before our politicians.

‘I am only interested in my community and the families I serve and hope that you can reflect on my thoughts as the week unfolds.’
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×