Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, is attempting to break the deadlock between the government and teaching unions over children returning to school next month.

Boris Johnson’s plans to re-open schools from 1 June as part of easing the coronavirus lockdown are facing a revolt from unions, head teachers, local government leaders and city mayors.

Backed by teaching unions, council leaders are demanding powers to close schools if testing reveals new COVID-19 cases and some mayors are threatening to refuse to allow them to reopen.

So Mr Williamson has announced that he has arranged for teaching union leaders to meet England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, and other experts for a briefing on his scientific advice.

Earlier this week the education secretary accused unions of “scaremongering” over his plans for a phased return of pupils, claiming class sizes of 15, extra cleaning and other safeguards would help make schools safe.

But writing in the Daily Mail, he has struck a much more conciliatory tone, insisting safety comes first and the 1 June return to school – for primary school pupils – is just the first phase of a controlled and careful return to school.

“If, based on the latest scientific advice, we can get a limited number of children back to school, then I believe it’s my duty to do all I can to get them back there, because being in school with a teacher is the best way to learn,” he writes.

“Of course safety comes first, but we must also be aware of the potential damage to a child’s education from not getting them back in the classroom.

“It is now over seven weeks since schools were restricted to all but a very small number of children and until the rate of infection from coronavirus starts to come down, we cannot bring more students back.

“In that time I’ve been constantly talking to heads and teachers’ unions about how best to open schools in a phased and careful way.

“Later today I have arranged for union leaders to meet the chief medical officer and other experts so they can be briefed on the scientific advice underpinning our approach.”

Mr Williamson says he agrees with the former Labour education secretary, David Blunkett, who this week said it was important to get the most disadvantaged children back into schools as soon as possible.

He says younger children are at the head of the queue to go back to school, along with pupils who will be moving up to secondary school and those older pupils who are going to be sitting their GCSEs and A Levels next year.

“This is the first phase of a controlled and careful return to school,” he writes. “It’s not happening overnight and it isn’t going to happen without schools putting in place a range of protective measures to reduce transmission.

“The safety of children and their teachers is my number one priority.

“I know some teaching unions still have concerns, just as I know parents and teachers have some worries. I intend to carry on talking to all of them and working with them on any issues they may have.

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