CHILDREN will not be returning to school until March, the prime minister said this afternoon.
Speaking in parliament, Boris Johnson said he is “acutely conscious” that “parents are balancing the demands of working from home and supporting the education of their children”.
He said the lockdown would be reviewed, with updates from the end of February.
This would include a gradual and phased approach, with a national priority on reopening schools.
The first sign of normality, he said, should be children returning to school.
Mr Johnson said that two weeks’ notice would be given for this, and said it would not be possible to immediately open schools after the February half-term.
Instead, he said schools would be able to reopen from Monday, March 8.
“If we achieve our target of vaccinating everyone in the four most vulnerable groups, with their first dose by February 15, then those groups will have developed immunity from the virus about three weeks later — that is March 8,” Mr Johnson said.
“We hope it will therefore be safe to begin the reopening of schools from Monday, March 8.”
He said other economic and social restrictions would be removed following this, dependent on the data.
He added: “As we are extending the period of remote learning beyond the middle of February, I can confirm that the Government will prolong arrangements for free school meals, for those eligible children not in school — including food parcels and the national voucher scheme.”
He also committed to providing a “programme of catch-up” over the next financial year. This will include £300 million given to schools for tutoring, summer schools and a “covid premium” to support this.
He said he recognised the impact of school closures would take “more than a year” to make-up, and said the Government will work with schools to develop a long-term plan.
This, he said, would give pupils the chance to improve their learning.
Cllr UllaKarin Clark, executive member for children’s services at the borough council: “We welcome the prime minister’s commitment to giving the schools as much notice as possible on when the government expects schools to welcome pupils back into the school buildings.
“This latest lockdown has been particularly difficult for our teachers, students and their families as so little notice was given at the start of January.
“We recognise that schools have remained open throughout the lockdown for children of key workers and vulnerable learners, and will continue to work with our schools in supporting them to welcome all of their teachers and pupils back into their school buildings when it is safe to do so.”
Cllr Prue Bray, Liberal Democrat lead for education, said the prime minister was in “cloud cuckoo land” if he thought schools should reopen in March.
She told Wokingham.Today: “We can’t tell anything at the moment, but I expect it will likely be later than March 8.
“The worst thing we could do is reopen schools too early.”
This concern was echoed by Cllr Clive Jones, deputy leader of the party, who said he would be “very surprised” if schools opened in March.
He added: “I would like to know, what are we going to do to put in place vaccinations for school staff to limit the spread of the virus when children do go back?
“I think that’s really important — we have a month to organise that.”
Cllr Andy Croy, leader of the Labour group said: “Everyone wants children to return to school as soon as it is safe. This is vital not only for their education but also their mental health.
“Teachers, schools, students and parents have proved remarkably adaptable and have done every single thing asked of them in the pandemic.”
He said the Government must now “play its part” by ensuring children have access to “decent” electronic kit, affordable and fast internet and stationery and art supplies, for printing and for creative work.
He added: “The Conservatives have got it wrong at every stage of the pandemic. They must not get the return to school wrong.
“It is important that schools and parents have certainty, so they can plan properly for the period between the middle of February and the middle of March.”
Cllr Bray said the confirmation that children will not return after half-term provided teachers with some clarity, and ability to plan.
She added: “On a more positive note, schools locally are receiving more laptops and devices to help them with remote learning, as charities, businesses and individuals donate — which is great news.”
