Pupils ‘left in limbo’ four days before transfer test
We’ll meet again: Stormont executive gather to finalise lockdown details as children wait
CHILDREN set to take their first transfer test in four days’ time remain in “limbo” over whether the exam will still go ahead.
Stormont is expected to officially announce an extension of remote learning today after Boris Johnson said there would be an immediate closure of schools in England.
The schools closure here could extend into February.
As he imposed the toughest national lockdown in England since March, the Prime Minister said rushing ahead with all exams this summer “as normal” would not be fair or possible.
Despite this, there was no decision announced last night over whether the transfer test here on Saturday will be postponed.
Graham Gault, president of the National Association of Head Teachers in Northern Ireland said: “It’s hard not to imagine how different things might have been if the profession’s appeals for contingency planning for examinations etc, had been heeded. Our exam children are stuck in such limbo.”
It’s also understood ‘stay at home’ advice is to be put into legislation, while the Executive is also set to examine travel advice.
THE Executive is expected to announce stringent new Covid restrictions today after Boris Johnson imposed the toughest national lockdown in England since March, shutting schools to most pupils to prevent the NHS being overwhelmed by surging coronavirus infections.
In a TV address the Prime Minister pinned hopes on the rollout of vaccines to ease the restrictions, but warned that the measures being introduced immediately are expected to last until mid-february.
He told people to stay indoors other than for limited exceptions and bowed to significant pressure to order primary schools, secondaries and colleges to move to remote teaching for the majority of students.
His move followed Nicola Sturgeon imposing a lockdown on Scotland for the rest of January, with a legal requirement to stay at home and schools closed to most pupils until February.
Northern Ireland is already in partial lockdown, with an official announcement on new measures expected today.
First Minister Arlene Foster said there were “very difficult decisions” to take in a “dire situation” as ministers took part in an emergency meeting last night.
A source said ministers agreed that the Executive will move to put ‘stay at home’ into regulations — whereas before it was guidance — with a restriction on travel.
Mrs Foster later said the “stay at home” message will be “put back into law”.
“The message will be stay at home unless you have a reason to leave home,” she said.
“Those reasons will be put into law. We think that is necessary given the huge rise in positive cases here in Northern Ireland.
“Tomorrow we will come back together again to talk about what additional issues we need to deal with in terms in schools. In terms of travel as well. Something we discussed today with the other administrations across the United Kingdom, because we recognise that international travel will have to be reviewed again as well.”
She added: “I think it’s fair to say that we will have to engage in more remote learning at schools. We want to look at the finer details of that in and around vulnerable children and special needs children.
“One of the learning points from the first lockdown was the fact that a lot of special needs children need to have the ability to go to their place of schooling so they can deal with medical procedures and issues like that.”
Deputy First Minister Michelle O’neill tweeted: “Stay at home will be put in to regulation. Travel will be revisited.”
The Executive will meet today to discuss proposals and they will then go to Assembly tomorrow, where MLAS will be told what has been agreed.
In a bleak statement, Mr Johnson said the new variant of coronavirus, which is up to 70% more transmissible, was spreading in a “frustrating and alarming” manner and warned that the number of Covid-19 patients in English hospitals is 40% higher than the first peak.
“As I speak to you tonight, our hospitals are under more pressure from Covid than at any time since the start of the pandemic,” he said.
“The weeks ahead will be the hardest yet but I really do believe that we’re entering the last phase of the struggle, because with every jab that goes into our arms we’re tilting the odds against Covid and in favour of the British people.”
He said people in the top four priority groups would receive a first vaccine dose by mid-february to allow restrictions in the third national lockdown to be eased.
It is thought that measures are unlikely to be relaxed until around 13m people aged over 70 or classed as extremely clinically vulnerable have received the vaccine and been given enough time to be protected — about two to three weeks after getting the jab.
But Mr Johnson issued a series of ifs — on the public following the rules and understanding of the virus not dramatically shifting — before the nation can start “cautiously” moving down through tiered restrictions with schools reopening after the February half-term. He said the lockdown will become law in the early hours of tomorrow, while MPS will retrospectively be given a vote after they are recalled early from the Christmas break, but the public should follow the rules immediately.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the measures are “necessary” and his party supports them.
That means although Mr Johnson will want to minimise the scale of any Tory rebellion the Government is almost certain to win the vote.
The Prime Minister’s statement came after the chief medical officers for the first time raised the UK to the highest level on the Covid-19 alert system.
They warned the NHS was at risk of being overwhelmed within 21 days “in several areas” without further action.
Strong stay-in-place messaging will return, with leaving home only permitted for limited exceptions, such as shopping for necessities including food and medicine.
The public were told to work from home unless it is impossible to do so, such as for critical workers and those in the construction industry.
Exercise will be permitted with household or support bubble members or with one other person from another household, but is advised to be limited to once per day and carried out locally.
Non-essential shops will have to close, prompting business leaders to call for fresh financial support to prevent a wave of closures and redundancies.
Exams will again face disruption as schools close to all pupils other than the children of key workers and vulnerable youngsters until after the February half-term.
University students will not be allowed to return to their institutions.
The Prime Minister said he understands the “inconvenience and distress” the late change will cause to millions of parents and that many will ask why he delayed the decision.
“The answer is simply that we have been doing everything in our power to keep schools open, because we know how important each day in education is to children’s life chances,” Mr Johnson said.
Restaurants and other hospitality venues can continue delivery or takeaway services but will no longer be permitted to serve alcohol.
Outdoor gyms, tennis courts and golf courses must close and outdoor team sports will be prohibited.
Premier League football and other elite sports with testing regimes and bubbles will be allowed to continue.
Holidays in the UK and abroad are not allowed, including staying in a second home or caravan.
People must also not stay overnight with anyone they do not live with unless they are in a support bubble.
Guest accommodation providers such as hotels, B&BS and caravan parks may remain open for the specific reasons set out in law, including where guests need accommodation while moving house.
The extremely clinically vulnerable who were previously told to shield will be advised stay at home and only leave for medical appointments and exercise.
They should no longer attend work, school, college or university.
This will affact around 2m people in England.
Mr Johnson said free school meals will continue while schools are closed, winning praise from Manchester United star Marcus
Rashford, who previous forced Government U-turns.
The fresh restrictions were imposed as ministers hailed the rollout of the new Oxford-astraZeneca vaccine, which begun when retired maintenance manager Brian Pinker (82) became the first person to receive the jab outside clinical trials.
Welsh Education Minister Kirsty Williams said schools and colleges will remain closed until at least January 18 and move to online learning.
Scotland’s First Minister Ms Sturgeon announced a legally enforceable stay-at-home order for all of January in mainland Scotland and Skye.
She told MSPS: “It is no exaggeration to say that I am more concerned about the situation we face now than I have been at any time since March last year.”
Mr Johnson was alarmed by new data shown to him yesterday to suggest cases were rising rapidly in every part of England. He said the number of Covid patients in hospitals increased by nearly a third in the last week to almost 27,000 — more than 40% higher than in April’s peak.
Rehana Azam, GMB national secretary, said: “After days of dither and delay in the face of our calls, Boris Johnson has finally woken up from his slumber, come to his senses, overruled the Education Secretary and ordered schools to close to all but key workers and vulnerable children.”
Tony Danker, CBI director general, said: “It is absolutely essential that we all put the health of our citizens first, and businesses will continue to step up in the national interest to support the NHS, employees and customers in the weeks ahead.
“In tandem we need to acknowledge that the economic impact of these new restrictions is significant.”
‘The weeks ahead will be hardest yet’