All pupils in England will return to school from March 8 –PM
ALL school pupils in England will return to class from March 8, the Prime Minister has confirmed, but the return of students in secondary schools and colleges could be staggered due to the logistics of mass testing.
Secondary school and college students will be tested for Covid-19 four times over the first two weeks of term and they will then be asked to carry out rapid coronavirus tests at home twice a week.
Pupils in secondary schools and colleges will be asked to use a lateral flow device when they return in a fortnight – and, if they test negative, they will be allowed to resume face-to-face classes.
It is understood that secondary school and college leaders will be given some flexibility to stagger the return of students from March 8 to ensure pupils are tested before returning to class. The decision comes despite calls from education unions to adopt a “phased return” of students – similar to in Wales and Scotland, where schools began reopening to youngest pupils yesterday.
Primary school children will not need to take a rapid coronavirus test.
Prior to Mr Johnson’s announcement, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said he was concerned about the idea of a “big bang” approach to reopening schools. Mr Barton said it was “difficult to understand” why the approach in England went further than in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, where a phased return is planned.
In Scotland, children between the ages of four and eight in primaries one to three began returning to school from yesterday, along with some senior secondary pupils who need to do practical work. Children aged three to seven also started a phased return to school in Wales yesterday, and some vocational learners were back at college for their practical qualifications. All primary school pupils, plus older age groups in Years 11 and 13 who have exams, could return from March 15 if Wales’ public health situation continues to improve.
Some primary school pupils in Northern Ireland will return to class on March 8, while secondary pupils in key exam years will return on March 22.
Mr Johnson told MPs: “All the evidence shows that classrooms are the best places for our young people to be and that’s why I’ve always said that schools would be the last to close and the first to reopen – and, based on our assessment of the current data against the four tests, I can tell the House that, two weeks from today, pupils and students in all schools and further education settings can safely return to faceto-face teaching, supported by twice-weekly testing of secondary school and college pupils.
“Families and childcare bubbles will also be encouraged to get tested regularly. Breakfast and after-school clubs can also reopen and other children’s activities, including sport, can restart where necessary to help parents to work.”
In response to a question from Leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer, Mr Johnson said the plans for March 8 school openings were supported by the chief medical officer and chief scientific adviser.