Is it time to open schools again? Joanna Williams certainly thinks so. Writing in the Telegraph recently, she argued that teachers need to be courageous and get back to the classroom. But her call to reopen schools provoked an immediate backlash as critics labelled her stupid, irresponsible and selfish. Interestingly she posed a question which was lost in the Twitter storm that followed: ‘Are we happy to leave the debate about reopening schools purely to the science or is this as much if not more a decision for educators?’

In this debate, Joanna explains why she thinks it is time for schools to open now. School principal David Perks takes a different view: ‘not so fast, it’s not that simple’. So when should schools reopen and what does this debate tell us about what we value most about schools? Is it their role as engines of social mobility, as safeguarders of vulnerable children, as an unofficial child-minding service, exams or something else? Is it really a big deal if children miss a few months at school? Come along, listen to what the speakers have to say and then join the debate.

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