A FIFTH of clinically vulnerable teachers who are shielding from Covid-19 have been told to go back to work, union research revealed today.

In a survey by teaching union NASUWT, 5 per cent of 20,617 respondents said that they had been advised by the NHS not to leave home during the coronavirus outbreak.

And of those, asked by the union whether they had been asked by schools to return to work, 20 per cent said yes.

NASUWT general secretary Dr Patrick Roach branded the findings “shocking and an absolute scandal.”

He warned that the union “will not hesitate to challenge these unacceptable actions by employers which are threatening the health of teachers.”

A vast majority of teachers (72 per cent) believed that it was not safe for more pupils to return to school. Only a small fraction (14 per cent) believed that it was.

This is despite schools implementing measures such as smaller class sizes, one-way systems and staggered breaks and start and finish times.

But the teachers said that some measures were less effective than others and that their application was often inconsistent.

Teachers also have significant concerns over the provision of personal protective equipment, with many saying that they did not have access to masks and face coverings.

Black and minority-ethnic teachers were more likely to say that they did not feel safe (32 per cent) compared with their colleagues (18 per cent).

Three-quarters of teachers are also being expected to clean their classrooms and equipment regularly in the absence of cleaning staff.

Mr Roach stressed that cleaning “must not be left to teachers to do.”