I think it depends if schools can genuinely safely accommodate children and staff. The same thing has happened in this town. Schools reopened last week, seven now have positive tests, and selective groups and their families are isolating. They've used the same strategy, and are seperating children into year groups and class groups, so if one group has a case, they don't come into contact with a wider group of children. Of course that all means nothing if a lot of the kids travel on buses (without masks), play together outside of school, and all the local families meet up, having parties and social gatherings.
I see the argument about disadvantaged children suffering the most from being kept off school, but also have serious doubts about the ability of school - especially one year of schooling - to change the lives of children from the most dysfunctional and disadvantaged backgrounds. And when politicians accuse teachers of being 'rather middle class' in wanting to hold off on classroom lessons, while banging on about social mobility in young people who they would personally instantly overlook in favour of young people with the right accent and social background, it just looks ridiculous. The real motivation, I would have thought, is they want parents back in the workplace.
