ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET
FIRST STEP IN THE ROAD MAP BACK TO NORMALITY TODAY AS KIDS RETURN TO SCHOOL OVERHAUL NOW ON THE CARDS WITH LONGER DAYS, SHORTER HOLS AND D FIVE TERMS A YEAR
CHILDREN are leading the country out of lockdown today as they go back to school for the first time in more than two months.
More than 7million pupils returned to classes across England – with parents warned to check car batteries before the first school run of the year, and train services ramped up to cope with a rise in travel.
Nearly 60million rapid coronavirus testing kits have been sent to schools to help curb infections – and mums and dads were also told not to mingle e outside the gates.
But pupils could face huge changes s in future, with more hours and a longer r five-term school year to catch up on a year of disrupted learning. Education secretary Gavin Williamson said: ‘We’re looking at holidays, we’re looking at lengthening the school day, we’re looking at a whole range of measures.
‘We see this as one of those moments, like the 1944 education reform act which came out of World War II, about how we can be transformative in terms of changing and improving opportunities for young people.’
And he insisted schools would not shut again – even if they caused
infection rates to rise. ‘This is our real first step in terms of moving out of national lockdown,’ he said. ‘That is why we are taking a cautious approach because we intend for it to be irreversible. It’s a massive logistical exercise and certainly not for the faint-hearted.’
Pupils in England are likely to take three tests each at school in the next two weeks. For the first time, secondary school students will be asked to wear masks in class if social distancing cannot be maintained.
Parents will be also expected to test their children during the Easter holidays to keep schools open.
‘Families recognise it as a really important part of helping them get back into school,’ Mr Williamson said.
Train services will return to 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels after Transport for London reported the highest passenger numbers this year on Friday.
Sage adviser Dr Mike Tildesley told parents: ‘When you’re dropping your children off, you need to maintain social distancing. Don’t use it as an excuse to go out and mix with other people you otherwise wouldn’t have done.’
Today’s mass return is the first stage of prime minister Boris Johnson’s road map to normality by June 21.
The PM said he was ‘very hopeful that it will work and all go according to plan’. He told reporters: ‘I think the risk is actually in not going back to school given all the suffering, all the loss of learning we have seen.’
And he praised parents’ home schooling – many while working from home.
‘I’m massively grateful to parents who’ve put up with so much throughout the pandemic, and teachers who have done an amazing job of keeping going. But I do think that we’re ready.’
Today’s first relaxation of rules since the third national lockdown on January 4 means people can meet or exercise outdoors with one other person.
The next step – on March 29, when up to six people or two households can meet outdoors and some sports return – depends on the impact of the school return and the vaccine rollout.
Yesterday, as the number of people vaccinated passed 22million, 82 people died with Covid – the fewest since October 19, before the second lockdown. Another 5,177 cases were detected, the least since September 30.
A staggered return in Scottish schools started with primary years one to three going back on February 22.
In England 1.6million vulnerable or key workers’ children stayed in school.