Staggered return to school plan under fire

Secondary school and college pupils' return to class in England will be staggered during the first week of January.

Exam-year students will go back to school as normal after the Christmas holidays, but the majority of secondary school pupils will start the term online.

It is hoped the staggered return will allow headt e a c h e r s t o ro l l out mass testing of children and staff in the new year.

But education unions are concerned about the logistics of setting up a masstesting programme and they have criticised the Government for making a last-minuteannouncement attheend of term.

The Department for Education has confirmed that secondary schools and colleges will operate a staggered return - and all non-exam year groups will be offered full-time remote education during the first week of term.

Face-to-face education for all students will resume on January 11.

E d u c at i o n S e c re t a r y G av i n W i l l i a m s o n s a i d : "This targeted testing round will clamp down on the virus as students return from the Christmas break and help stop the spread of Covid-19 in the wider community.

Pau l W h i t e - man, general secretary of the school leaders'unionNAHT, said: "By dropping this on schools minutes before the end of term, leaders are left with no time to implement instructions.

"Primary schools appear to have been completely ignored. School staff and parents of younger children are rightly worried about transmission of the virus over Christmas and will struggle to understand why they are being treated differently.”