One of the biggest concerns local residents are raising with me is the full reopening of schools.

On the one hand I am hearing from parents who will not be able to go back to work unless and until schools reopen to their children.

On the other I am hearing from people who are worried about whether it is safe, particularly in households where someone is shielding.

As a teacher, I am very concerned that the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their better-off peers is at risk of growing.

We all want schools to reopen to more pupils when it is safe for them to do so. Our school leaders, teachers, school staff and governors have been working incredibly hard to already make this happen for some children.

But the Government has completely failed to come up with a clear plan to fully reopen our schools safely. It's time the Government put tribalism aside and came up with a national plan to tackle educational inequality.

The plans for the phased reopening of schools to more pupils in England have experienced setbacks, and have been characterised by divisive debate and tribal politics. The Government rushed too soon, and before properly planning how things would work in practice.

I believe that we need to show collective leadership, and recognise that our children’s futures must come before party politics.

That's why I've written a letter to the Prime Minister and Education Secretary, presenting the Liberal Democrat five-point plan for the phased opening of schools more widely in England.

Our plan includes:

• Safe space registers, enabling schools to use local community buildings to work in line with social distancing.

• Recruiting additional staff through a Teach for Britain campaign.

• An end to the learning void by working with the private sector to ensure no child is unable to access their online learning environment.

• Developing a plan for flexible, phased reopening staggering key year groups. The plan should follow the science and have the trust of parents and the profession by being developed with them.

• Stopping the disadvantage gap from widening further by committing to free schools meals through the summer and a new Summer Learning Fund so disadvantaged pupils can access education through the summer holiday.

Having these plans in place will give parents, teachers and pupils the confidence that children can go back to the classroom without putting their health at risk.