WHAT EUROPE’S DOING:
GERMANY
School holidays are staggered – but some 152,700 children returned to classrooms this week for the first time since they were closed in March.
Officials have called for regular classes to take place where possible but for children to get at least four or five hours of contact time each week. Masks are not mandatory but strict cleaning regimes are in place and free testing is available to teachers.
FRANCE
French schools started to reopen in May but pupils were only allowed back in limited numbers – and attending in person was optional. But from June 22, rules requiring a 4m square of space per pupil were relaxed as a return to education became compulsory.
SPAIN
Spanish schools will reopen in September after one of the strictest lockdowns in Europe. Primary classes will be capped at 20 pupils with children grouped in “bubbles”.
And students will also be encouraged to wear masks and keep 1.5m apart.
ITALY
Italian schools are set to reopen from September 14. Students will be urged to stay 1m apart and wear masks. And some lessons will take place outdoors and in different premises such as cinemas, parks and museums in a bid to reduce the concentration of children in school buildings.
The Italian government has announced some 50,000 extra teachers will be hired to cope with the changes.
GREECE
Schools in Greece started to reopen in May after a two-month closure. They are expected to start the next term early, on September 7, in a bid to catch up on missed lessons.
Class sizes have been reduced to around 15 and pupils have been told to stay 1.5m apart.
THE NETHERLANDS
Dutch schools reopened to all pupils on May 11.
Class sizes were cut in half, with rotating “bubbles” of pupils.
However, social distancing has not been enforced for children under 12.