Return to school delayed for secondary pupils to allow for COVID testing preparations
It will not be until 18 January when all secondary and college students will return to their places of study full time.
Wednesday 30 December 2020 21:51, UK
The return of many schools will be delayed beyond the government's earlier promise, the education secretary has announced.
Exam year students will return on 11 January, with other secondary school students to follow a week later on 18 January, to enable preparations for the testing of pupils and staff to take place.
And while the majority of primary schools will open as planned on 4 January, some primaries in areas with the highest rates of coronavirus will not open on that date, with no date of return set as yet.
This will include primaries in 22 London boroughs, which between them have more than half a million pupils, and many primaries in Essex and Kent and some in East Sussex, Buckinghamshire, and Hertfordshire.
But it does not include primaries in Greenwich, which was forced to back down in the face of government legal action in late December after saying it wanted to close schools before the end of the autumn term.
It appears that primary pupils in the affected areas will be expected to learn remotely.
The Department for Education has said their return to school will be reviewed in two weeks, on 13 January.
Revealed: Full list of areas where primary schools face delayed return
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has admitted the government may need to take "further action" in the worst affected areas.
Setting out a new plan in the House of Commons, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said schools up and down the country face a "rapidly changing situation".
He told MPs: "The 1,500 military personnel committed to supporting schools and colleges will remain on task providing virtual training and advice on establishing the testing process with teams on standby to provide in-person support if required by schools.
"Testing will then begin the following week in earnest with those who are in exam years at the head of the queue.
"This is in preparation for the full return of all pupils in all year groups on January 18 in most areas."
Greenwich council reacted with anger at not being included in the list of areas being told to impose delays on primary pupils returning to school.
Leader of the council Danny Thorpe said: "We are deeply concerned by the government's choice not to include the Royal Borough of Greenwich within the areas whose schools will be operating under the contingency framework for education and childcare. In a case-by-case comparison, there appears to be no logic to how this list was brought together.
"Kensington and Chelsea has one of the lowest infection rates for the whole of the capital, yet their children and young people are being afforded the extra protection that apparently Royal Greenwich students don't need."
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said it was the "right decision" to delay the reopening of schools, but he was "urgently seeking clarity on why schools in some London boroughs have been chosen to stay open".
He said: "No one wants our children's education to be disrupted by school closures.
"But with the rate of infection now dangerously high in London and hospitals battling with a surge in coronavirus cases, it is the right decision to delay the reopening of London's schools."
The news comes just 24 hours after the government insisted it was pushing ahead with plans for primary school and older secondary school children to return to classrooms next week.
There had been demands for the post-Christmas return of pupils to be delayed - including from teaching unions - until later in January.
Scientists have advised that keeping schools and universities closed will dampen infection rates.
Teaching unions had also expressed concern after Mr Williamson outlined before Christmas plans to test staff and students from the first week of January.
At least one of them remained unimpressed.
Joint general secretary of the National Education Union Dr Mary Bousted said she was "astonished" at Mr Williamson's announcement.
She said: "With warnings from eminent scientists of an 'imminent catastrophe' unless the whole of the UK is locked down, and with more cases in hospitals than ever before and our NHS facing an enormous crisis, the secretary of state is sending the majority of primary pupils and staff back on Monday to working environments which aren't COVID secure.
"The government has not, despite being repeatedly asked, published the scientific guidance on the risks involved in school and college reopening. This information is desperately needed - particularly as the new variants of the virus are 50% more transmissible.
"The government in Scotland will not reopen schools till 18 January at the earliest. The Government in Westminster should have done that at least."
Cllr Judith Blake, chair of the Local Government Association's Children and Young People Board, said she was also worried about how the plan to test pupils would be implemented.
She said: "We have continuing concerns about the operational logistics of testing in secondary schools and the challenges posed by this timetable.
"Ensuring there is a suitable number of staff and volunteers, identifying the number of stations needed and finding a safe space for students to wait for their results are all significant challenges. It is vital that the tests, PPE and other support being promised by the government is delivered on time and in the quantities needed."
In the subsequent parliamentary debate, a number of questions about the government's plans for schools went unanswered by Gavin Williamson.
He was asked how many primary schools in England will be forced to switch to remote learning next week, whether exams can go ahead in the summer and whether school staff will be prioritised in the latest vaccine roll out.
He did not provide clear responses on any of these issues, simply stressing that the government's plans to roll out testing would enable schools to get pupils back into face-to-face learning as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, schools in Northern Ireland are not now expected to re-open as planned next week, Sky News understands.
It follows lengthy discussions between the Departments of Health and Education at Stormont.
Options under consideration include primary school children and students in exam years 12, 13 and 14 not returning until 11 January.
All other students, who were already scheduled to return to online learning from 25 January, may be asked to do so from the start of term instead.