Government must provide extra teaching staff and spaces to help schools reopen – MP tells Parliament

On the floor of the House of Commons this week, South Lakes MP Tim Farron urged ministers to provide additional teaching spaces and staff to help schools in Cumbria reopen safely.

Speaking during a debate in Parliament, Tim said: "If there are 30 kids in a class, to do this carefully and safely may mean having to split it three ways.

"It is right that the Government fund not only the additional space that will be needed, but the additional teaching assistants we need to make sure that those children are properly looked after and taught."

During the debate Tim also raised the issue of families in the South Lakes struggling to access free school meals vouchers.

Tim said: "It is really good news that the Government, as we understand it, are changing their position on the provision of free school meal vouchers over the summer, but to date the system has been far from perfect.

"The contractor that has taken on this job has failed, for example, to provide children with vouchers for supermarkets in the villages or towns where they live.

"This needs to be fixed before the summer."