Keeping schools shut in January will harm children’s prospects, ministers were warned last night. Next term is already being postponed by a week for most secondary pupils to allow for coronavirus testing. But teaching unions and scientific advisers are seeking at least an extra fortnight’s delay in the face of a surge in infections. Downing … Read more
For secondary pupils, the announcement yesterday that many schools may not open fully until after the February half-term holiday is a cruel and deeply unnecessary blow. I fear hundreds of thousands of young people will spend the rest of their lives paying for this disastrous decision, foisted on the Government by callous and opportunistic unions … Read more
Pressure was growing on Boris Johnson last night from within his own party to keep pupils out of school at the start of the new term as it was revealed students in Tier 4 may be at home until mid-February. Schools in the stay-at-home areas could be set to remain closed until February half term in … Read more
The highly infectious mutant strain of coronavirus found in Kent could be more likely to affect children, scientists have warned. Modellers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found the new virus strain is 56 per cent per cent more infectious. Even if another national lockdown was implemented, it would be ‘unlikely’ to … Read more
Keep schools open by getting Army medics to train teachers how to give pupils Covid tests, urges former Defence Secretary Tobias Ellwood Tobias Elwood believes the military could be used to help keep schools open The government wants teachers to test pupils for Covid-19 to keep schools open Teaching unions claim their members are not … Read more
Ministers won’t take decision on reopening schools in January until AFTER Christmas ‘after key meeting with Boris Johnson was postponed’ Downing Street source: Its ‘too early’ to guarantee pupils’ return by January 11 Ministers split on whether to announce plans now or wait until after Christmas Comes as Britain announced a record-high number of Covid-19 … Read more
New coronavirus variant has triggered ‘explosive’ outbreaks in schools in London and the South East, says ‘Professor Lockdown’ Neil Ferguson as he warns the strain has likely spread all over Europe already Prof Ferguson said there’d been ‘anecdotal reports’ of ‘more explosive’ clusters Data has suggested children more susceptible to new, rapidly-spreading variant Also suggested every EU … Read more
Children will return to face-to-face lessons in January, a senior minister claimed today amid claims that some schools may remain shut until February. Communities Minister Robert Jenrick said that classes would restart in person in ‘the first few weeks of January’, with teachers administering Covid tests to pupils to cut down on disruption. His comments … Read more
Parents are ‘dreading’ the prospect hinted at by Home Secretary Priti Patel of schools being shut throughout January as Britain grapples with the new strain of coronavirus. Ordinarily after the Christmas break, children would return to schools in the first week of January but this date was recently pushed back to January 11. But when … Read more
Return to online lessons in January? Ministers ‘considering DELAYING reopening schools after Christmas’ – just days after Gavin Williamson threatened councils with legal action if they closed Education Secretary Gavin Williamson expected to make announcement later January 4 and 5 return reportedly to be replaced with online lessons English secondary pupilscurrently have highest covid rates … Read more