SCHOOLS are reopening in England today in the first step towards lockdown being totally lifted – but union bosses are already warning they could shut again.
Primary and secondary pupils are returning to classrooms for the first time in months after a brutal second coronavirus wave.
Classrooms have been declared safe and teachers told they are at no greater risk of catching the virus than those working in any other job.
Rapid testing will be vital to managing the risk posed by schools reopening, although parents have been told entire classes won't be sent home if just one pupil tests positive for the virus.
Primary aged pupils won't need to wear masks to school as open doors and windows has been deemed more effective in age groups where masks are more likely to be removed, fiddled with or worn incorrectly.
But the joint general secretary of the National Education Union, Dr Bousted, has warned that the government "could have done much more" to ensure they opened safely.
He told Sky News: "I hope – and my members hope – this will be the last time we close schools to the majority of pupils. Absolutely.
"But the jury's out about whether that will be the case."
But teachers are said to be furious that they haven't been prioritised in the next round of jabs and there was even talk last week of a last minute strike plot drummed up by teachers unhappy at having to return to the classroom.
Follow our schools reopening live blog below for the very latest news and updates as kids return to the classroom…
- Sarah Grealish
KIDS ‘WON’T BE FORCED’ TO WEAR MASKS
Children’s minister Vicky Ford said she expects most students to voluntarily use masks but insisted they shouldn’t be forced to.
She said: “It’s a hugely exciting day and a huge relief to so many children, families, schools, staff all across the country.
“There will be some who will be nervous about going back, but we’ve put in these extra measures so we can make sure we keep Covid out of the classroom.
“That is a whole extra layer of keeping Covid out of the classroom, but we need to also set this aside against a very different backdrop to in January.
“We’ve had the fantastic vaccination programme. That does give us that extra level of protection against the virus as we bring children back into school.”
- Sarah Grealish
MASK IMPORTANCE
SCHOOLS could be forced to shut again if not enough pupils wear face masks as they return to class today, parents have been warned.
While there is no legal power to enforce it, guidance from the Government states that masks should be worn by students – as well as teaching and support staff – while indoors.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last month that secondary school kids are to be tested twice a week and required to wear face masks if it is not possible to socially distance at two metres apart.
Both measures are not compulsory, however, and the Government has said teachers should not send pupils home for refusing.
- Sarah Grealish
WHICH AGE GROUPS WILL BE ASKED TO WEAR MASKS?
Secondary school pupils and teachers are now asked to wear face coverings in classrooms and areas where it is not possible to socially distance. That means older pupils are likely to be in masks for much of the day.
Official guidance from the Department for Education states that “no pupil should be denied education on the grounds that they are not wearing a face covering”.
But Schools Minister Nick Gibbs said masks are “highly recommended”.
No requirement is in place for primary schools, although teachers have been advised to wear masks “where possible”.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson this morning backed the measure, and said children deserve credit for their efforts to keep friends and family safe.
- Sarah Grealish
TESTING TIMES
Pictured: A member of staff wearing PPE processes a student's Innova lateral flow Covid-19 test, which take 30 minutes to give a result, in the Sports Hall at Park Lane Academy in Halifax.
Schools reopened today following the easing of lockdown restrictions.
Credit: AFP or licensors - Sarah Grealish
NORTHERN IRELAND RETURNING TO SCHOOL 'DOES NOT MAKE SENSE'
Pictured: Education Minister Peter Weir visiting Springfield Primary School this morning.
NI's youngest pupils will return to school today for the first time since before the Christmas break.
Children in primary one to primary three (aged four to seven) and those in nursery and pre-school are going back to class.
The plan is that they will then return to remote learning on 22 March.
However Education Minister Peter Weir said this does not make "enormous sense" and he will be pushing for children to continue in the classroom. The continuity of learning would be the best thing possible."
Credit: Pacemaker Press - Jon Rogers
LIVERPOOL SCHOOL STARTS STAGGERED RETURN
Students at a Liverpool secondary school have begun a staggered return to the classroom, with year 11 and sixth form pupils taking their first lateral flow tests.
Gateacre School, in south Liverpool, has a 70% consent rate from parents for their children to take these tests, and face masks will be mandatory for all students when the school fully reopens on Thursday.
Headteacher Gareth Jones said: "We cannot exclude a child for not wearing a face mask, so we are looking at sanctions and will be discussing with both the parents and the children on how best to proceed."
After taking her first test at school, Marjane Benjoub, a year 11 student, said: "I do not miss it, it tickles in the worst way possible and it is not a very nice feeling to be honest.
"But it is pretty simple to do and I would rather do it than have any of the risks of not doing it."
- Jon Rogers
FACEMASKS IN CLASS WILL NOT BE MANDATORY DUE TO PUPIL ANXIETY, MINISTER SAYS
Secondary school students will not be forced to wear face coverings in classrooms, as some will be "anxious and nervous" about wearing them, an education minister has said.
As millions of pupils in England begin to return to class after months of remote learning, children's minister Vicky Ford said secondary school pupils should be "strongly encouraged" to wear masks.
But the Government has decided against making their use mandatory due to pupil anxiety, Ms Ford said.
The Department for Education (DfE) is advising secondary school and college students to wear face coverings wherever social distancing cannot be maintained, including in the classroom.
- Jon Rogers
PUPILS BACK TO SCHOOL AT 'ABSOLUTELY THE RIGHT TIME', SAYS HEADTEACHER
Pupils have returned to lessons at "absolutely the right time", according to one headteacher.
Greg Williams, of Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter Academy, said: "It couldn't have been (put off) any longer".
At the secondary school, which is run by CORE education trust, 325 students in Year 11, 10 and 9 were back at face-to-face lessons on Monday – many for the first time in months.
On Tuesday, 270 more pupils – the rest of the school's cohort in Years 8 and 7 – are returning.
Mask-wearing is mandatory at the school, but take-up has been almost universal, said the head.
Mr Williams said there was currently only a single pupil who did not have to wear a mask, and that was for a medical exemption.
- Jon Rogers
STUDENTS TAKE RAPID LATERAL FLOW TESTS AS THEY RETURN TO SCHOOL
Teenagers have been self-administering Covid-19 tests as they return to school for the first time this year.
Year 11 students at Archway School in Stroud, Gloucestershire, had to take a rapid lateral flow test, which provides a result in half an hour, before being able to start lessons.
Staff had staggered pupils' return, with tutor groups of 30 students arriving at 30-minute intervals in order to take the test.
The Government has introduced mass testing to reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus.
All secondary school pupils will be offered three tests on their return before being asked to carry them out twice a week at home.
- Sarah Grealish
WHAT HAVE HEADTEACHERS SAID ABOUT FINES?
Headteachers unions, the Association of School and College Leaders, and the National Association of Head Teachers agree it is right to prioritise keeping pupils in the classroom.
They have called on ministers to be transparent about the risks to children, families and school staff.
The unions have previously called on the government to remove fines for parents who keep their children out of school, the Guardian reports.
NEU Joint General Secretary Kevin Courtney insisted last November that ONS data showed schools “are an engine for virus transmission”.
A joint statement by teachers’ unions this week warned bringing all pupils in England back to school together on March 8 would be “reckless”.
- Sarah Grealish
BACK TO CLASS
Pictured: Happy children and parents arrive at St Luke's Primary School in Brighton this morning as the government lockdown restrictions in England are starting to be eased.
Schools and colleges are being reopened to all students today throughout England
Credit: Alamy Live News - Sarah Grealish
PM HAILS SCHOOLS REOPENING A ‘NATIONAL EFFORT’
THE PM hailed today’s re-opening of England’s schools as the result of a national effort to defeat Covid.
Boris Johnson said the return of millions of pupils to the classroom was made possible only by collective efforts to cut infections.
It marks step one of his plan to unlock the country after a year of restrictions to tackle the pandemic.
He declared: “The reopening of schools marks a truly national effort to beat this virus.
“It is because of the determination of every person in this country that we can start moving closer to a sense of normality — and it is right that getting our young people back into the classroom is a first step.”
- Sarah Grealish
R RATE WILL RISE
Professor Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said reopening schools will likely add around 0.2 to the R number.
He said: "It's very plausible, in fact I think very likely, that we will keep the R below one with schools open with these mitigations in place.
"And I think the key thing is that children themselves, and parents, don't think 'the schools are open, we can relax, we can mix outside of school' – in a sense, come out of lockdown around the school opening.
"The modelling – and I think the Government has been clear on this – is about we can reopen schools safely if everything else stays locked down over the next three weeks."
- Sarah Grealish
KIDS 'WON'T BE FORCED' TO WEAR MASKS
Children's minister Vicky Ford said she expects most students to voluntarily use masks but insisted they shouldn't be forced to.
She said: "It's a hugely exciting day and a huge relief to so many children, families, schools, staff all across the country.
"There will be some who will be nervous about going back, but we've put in these extra measures so we can make sure we keep Covid out of the classroom.
"That is a whole extra layer of keeping Covid out of the classroom, but we need to also set this aside against a very different backdrop to in January.
"We've had the fantastic vaccination programme. That does give us that extra level of protection against the virus as we bring children back into school."
- Sarah Grealish
WILL I BE FINED FOR NOT SENDING MY CHILD TO SCHOOL?
It is against the law to withhold your child from school, unless they have a “good reason”.
These include your child being ill, or if you have received advance permission from the school.
Under current laws, a local council can give each parent a fine of £60, which rises to £120 each if the fine is not paid within 21 days.
If the fine still remains unpaid after 28 days you may be prosecuted for your child’s absence from school.
This could result in a fine of up to £2,500, a community order or a jail sentence of up to three months.
- Sarah Grealish
FACEMASKS IN SCHOOLS
Pictured: Children wearing facemasks during a lesson at Outwood Academy in Woodlands, Doncaster in Yorkshire.
Pupils in England return to school for the first time in two months as part of the first stage of lockdown easing.
Credit: PA:Press Association - Sarah Grealish
SCHOOLS ARE ‘READY’
TEACHERS, parents and kids are all ready for schools to reopen today and feel a burning need to get back to class, Boris Johnson declared.
The Prime Minister insisted kids are more at risk from staying at home due to missing out on learning than they are from Covid in the classroom – boasting “we are ready.”
And the Education Secretary added that schools will stay open after the Easter break come what may.
Ministers are braced for a surge in the virus “R” rate due to kids mixing in classrooms once again, but Gavin Williamson said Monday’s return must be “irreversible.”
Thanking teachers and parents for six weeks of home-schooling and efforts getting ready to return, the PM declared: “I’m very hopeful that it will work, it will all go according to plan.”
- Sarah Grealish
WHICH AGES WILL BE ASKED TO WEAR MASKS?
Secondary school pupils and teachers are now asked to wear face coverings in classrooms and areas where it is not possible to socially distance.
That means older pupils are likely to be in masks for much of the day.
Official guidance from the Department for Education states that "no pupil should be denied education on the grounds that they are not wearing a face covering".
But Schools Minister Nick Gibbs said masks are "highly recommended".
No requirement is in place for primary schools, although teachers have been advised to wear masks "where possible".
Yesterday Education Secretary Gavin Williamson backed the measure and said children deserve credit for their efforts to keep friends and family safe.
- Sarah Grealish
MASK IMPORTANCE
SCHOOLS could be forced to shut again if not enough pupils wear face masks as they return to class today, parents have been warned.
While there is no legal power to enforce it, guidance from the Government states that masks should be worn by students – as well as teaching and support staff – while indoors.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last month that secondary school kids are to be tested twice a week and required to wear face masks if it is not possible to socially distance at two metres apart.
Both measures are not compulsory, however, and the Government has said teachers should not send pupils home for refusing.
- Sarah Grealish
BACK TO SCHOOL
MILLIONS of kids across England returned to school this morning as a minister said teenagers who refuse to wear a mask shouldn't be kicked out of the classroom.
Pupils up and down the country headed back to lessons for the first time since December, with a huge mass testing operation under way and extra Covid precautions in place.
Secondary school pupils will be asked to take three tests at school over the next two weeks, and after that will be provided with two tests a week to carry out at home.
They will also be strongly encouraged to wear masks in the classroom until at least the Easter holidays.
Primary school kids won't have to don face coverings, but extra guidance has been introduced saying visitors and staff should use them in areas where social distancing between adults isn't possible such as corridors.
Credit: �Nigel Howard Media https://www.nigelhowardmedia.com +44 7831 235235 - Sarah Grealish
SCHOOL RUN TRAFFIC
Pictured: Heavy traffic and long queues on the A3 Kingston bypass this morning as schools open in England for the first time this year.
From today, Monday, 8th March 2021 Stage1 of the easing of lockdown comes into force with children heading back to their classrooms and two friends will be allowed to socialise out side of their bubble for a coffee or picnic.
However, pubs, shops and restaurants still remain closed.
Credit: London News Pictures
- Sarah Grealish
How long will the changes be in place?
Some of the measures are set to be long-lasting. Sanitation will likely be something children simply get used to over time.
However, the more drastic measures are likely to be in place for a much shorter time. Education chiefs especially hope testing and masks in class will be short-lived.
Amanda Spielman, the chief executive of Ofsted, said Brit youngsters are “adaptable and flexible” – but admits she hopes masks and testing will be gone from schools soon.
“We’ve been told the face mask guidance will be reviewed at Easter,” she said. I love the idea of children being able to come back in the summer term able to see everybody fully.”
- Sarah Grealish
LATERAL FLOW TESTS
Pictured: Erin Horn looking in a mirror while taking a Lateral Flow Test as children arrive at Outwood Academy in Woodlands, Doncaster in Yorkshire.
Pupils in England today return to school for the first time in two months as part of the first stage of lockdown easing.
Credit: PA:Press Association - Sarah Grealish
HOW WILL TESTING WORK?
Students in England will be tested for Covid-19 three times in the first two weeks of school.
After that, they’ll be given two tests each week to use at home. These will be lateral flow tests, which involve taking a swab of the nose and throat.
The sample is then inserted into a tube of liquid and gives a result within 30 minutes.
Testing is voluntary and children will only be tested in school if a parent or carer has given consent.
The Government recommends, however, that anyone “going to a school or college premises,” or anyone who shares a bubble or household with someone who is “should also get tested”.
- Sarah Grealish
CATCH-UP CRISIS
Children are facing a catch-up crisis after losing out on 109 days of face-to-face learning.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson hinted that summer holidays could be slashed in favour of a five-term year and school days extended, in the biggest reform since the Second World War.
The Labour party have suggested instating a spate of breakfast clubs to help bring kids up to speed.
Despite the latest developments in the attempt to plug the gaping hole in children’s education, experts have warned it will take billions of pounds and many years to rectify.
But the head of the Oxford vaccine effort was confident, yet cautious, that the current figures are heading in the right direction.
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