THE KIDS WANT TO RETURN TO LESSONS

ELLA Brucher, 35, a self-employed cleaner, has two children, Scarlet, six, and Dominic, ten, with her husband, Nicholas, 40, a company director. They live in Purley, near Croydon in south London, which is in Tier Four and has a case rate of 835.5 per 100,000 residents:

‘Having taken time off for the Christmas holidays, I was expecting to go back to work this week. But Wednesday evening’s announcement has changed all that.

‘After not being able to work at all for three months earlier in the year, it’s very difficult – and more than that, it’s hard for the children, too.

‘They want to be back at school, they miss being able to socialise – and with not being able to meet friends outside of school, the classroom was the only place they got that important interaction.

‘My son plays computer games and talks with friends over headphones, he has his lessons, he is sensible and can work on his own, but he’s missing interaction with the teacher that he can only get at school, and this is his last year of primary school.

‘It’s very hard for my little girl, she has missed half of Year One and refused to do any home learning – and now here we are again.

‘I think the impact of this will be felt for years to come.

‘As for me, I would have been working for five days, but now I’m going to have to fit as much as I can into two days so that I can be there to look after the children and support them with their schoolwork.

‘I will have to let some of my clients down. I’m just thankful that those who have children and are in the same position will understand.

‘My husband has been able to keep working from home, but he has to go into work one to two days a week, so we simply have no choice.

‘I just hope that in two weeks they will be able to go back.’