Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of the NASUWT, has written again to remind the Department for Education of its obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty when carrying out its functions.

Dr Roach noted the DfE's assertion that it has developed an Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) alongside its response to the coronavirus and calls for full publication and disclosure on what actions it is taking to minimise any discriminatory effects and outcomes of the wider reopening of schools.

No EIA has yet been published, despite our requests and in spite of the various announcements and decisions on the wider reopening of schools and the funding for catch-up and support interventions in schools.

Dr Roach had previously written to the Government about the impact on Black and minority ethnic (Black) children, young people and adults who, it has been shown, are disproportionately more likely to be impacted by Covid-19 infections and deaths.

Dr Roach wrote to the Prime Minister in May setting out the NASUWT's concerns about the impact on Black children, young people and adults with similar concerns.

Dr Roach noted that no evidence of how the Government intends to fulfil its statutory duties in relation to the current pandemic had been published and asked Mr Johnson to set out how the Government’s five tests will be addressed in terms of equality impact in general, and, specifically, in relation to the impact on Black populations.

Dr Roach also asked the Rt Hon Liz Truss, Equalities Minister, for urgent clarification as to how the Government's own five tests and the commitments to reopen schools to more children from 1st June would take into account and contribute towards meeting the Government’s statutory obligations under the Equality Act 2010, including the need to prevent further discriminatory impacts related to the transmission of the coronavirus.

All public bodies, including the Government, are required under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) to have due regard to the need to achieve the objectives set out under s149 of the Equality Act 2010 and to publish equality objectives and information to demonstrate their compliance with the PSED.

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