Boris Johnson is widely expected to keep schools across England shut as part of a new national coronavirus lockdown in a move which will leave parents and pupils facing weeks of uncertainty. The Prime Minister will set out the ‘next steps’ in the Government’s Covid-19 response with an address to the nation tonight at 8pm, … Read more
All England’s secondary schools and colleges today received up to 1,000 Covid tests to get children back into class – just as Boris Johnson prepared to keep them all shut into February. Staff at secondaries across the country started unpacking the kits after the Prime Minister admitted that reopening them on January 18 may be … Read more
Former prime minister Tony Blair today backed demands for laptops and tablets to be given to hundreds of thousands of children who face their schools closing in the face of a surge in Covid infections. He was joined by three former education secretaries in urging Boris Johnson to help the poorest children who face an … Read more
England’s schools system is in meltdown today after schools revolted against Boris Johnson’s plea to stay open leaving millions of parents to begin homeschooling their children for at least a fortnight with often only a few hours’ notice. Many headteachers ordered to stay open have decided to shut their gates anyway this morning despite the … Read more
Boris Johnson today urged parents to send children back to primary schools – but refused to rule out a full shutdown to control the mutant coronavirus strain. The PM insisted there is ‘no doubt in my mind’ that schools are ‘safe’ as he insisted there would be no further U-turn on reopening most primaries this … Read more
More Left-wing councils were last night joining the revolt against Government plans to keep schools open. Brighton and Hove City Council followed eight authorities in London in demanding primaries teach remotely amid rising Covid cases. Most primaries in England are expected to open their doors tomorrow, while secondary schools will reopen on a staggered basis … Read more
All primary schools in London will now close for the start of the new term after the government U-turned on its decision to keep some open despite rising Covid cases. The government bowed to protests, legal pressure and scientific advice on New Year’s Day after it initially omitted a number of boroughs from the forced … Read more
Primary schools in England’s worst-hit coronavirus hotspots will remain shut at the start of term on January 4 as ministers desperately try to slow the spread of the disease. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson announced this afternoon that primary schools in dozens of areas across London, Essex, Kent and beyond will not be allowed to reopen … Read more
Most secondary pupils will not return to classrooms until January 18 as the Government struggles to contain a coronavirus surge – but primary schools will reopen on January 4 in all but the ‘highest infection’ areas. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson delivered the grim news to the House of Commons this afternoon as he admitted more … Read more
Boris Johnson is under mounting pressure from his split cabinet, teachers and unions to shut schools through January despite parents’ desperate pleas not to ‘cruelly’ rob their children of a classroom education after a year of immense disruption, it was revealed today. The Prime Minister is considering consigning millions of children to more ‘inadequate’ online … Read more