A TEACHING union has launched an interactive Covid-19 map to give staff and parents up-to-date information on infections around their local schools. 

The website, launched by the National Education Union today, gives information about the Covid-19 rate in the locality of every school in England and will be updated weekly. 

NEU joint general secretary Kevin Courtney told reporters that there were currently 5,836 schools in areas of intervention. 

Of those, 3,797 schools were in areas of concern, with 3,400 in Greater London.

Mr Courtney said that the map would reassure teachers and families that cases across much of the country remain fairly low while reinforcing public-health messaging in areas with high rates of infection. 

He said: “This website will support public-health messaging everywhere. We hope that it will encourage ongoing conversations about school safety, and how everyone can play their part.”

The schoolcovidmap.org.uk site draws on government data but presents it in a way that’s more “easily available” to parents and teachers, the union added. 

Speaking ahead of the NEU’s online conference on Saturday, union officials also announced that it will be putting forward a motion to call on schools to refuse to prepare for Sats next year. 

NEU joint general secretary Mary Bousted said: “Sats are an inadequate and inappropriate measure, even when there is no Covid-19.

“Now that there is Covid-19, they are completely inadequate when the majority of primary children need to come back, need to re-engage with learning and need a creative, compassionate curriculum.”