Schools across England welcome pupils back for autumn term
Hundreds of thousands of pupils in England will return to classrooms today, as schools across the country start to reopen for full-time education.
Pupils will be welcomed back for the autumn term with a “system of controls” in place to keep pupils, teachers and staff safe by minimising direct contacts and maintaining social distancing where possible, the Department of Education said.
Over the weekend education secretary, Gavin Williamson, penned an open letter to parents insisting schools are safe for pupils to return to.
“If a child is not in school, they stand to lose far more than just a few months of learning. It could well put a huge dent in their future life chances,” he said.
“Education is a birthright, so let’s make sure we get all children back – back to learning, back to playing and back to being kids again.”
It followed backlash from teachers after the government published last-minute guidance on Friday evening on what to do during virus outbreaks and local lockdowns.
Secondary pupils could be kept home every other fortnight in the event of a local lockdown. And in areas where additional restrictions have been introduced following a spike in cases, secondary schools have been warned they might have to limit the number of students.
The NAHT school leaders’ union said the timing was “reprehensible”.
Today Williamson reiterated: “I do not underestimate how challenging the last few months have been but I do know how important it is for children to be back in school, not only for their education but for their development and wellbeing too.”
The Welsh government has also said schools can start to welcome pupils back from 1 September. However they have said a “period of flexibility” will be allowed as schools adjust to the new arrangements.
The UK’s chief medical officers have insisted that the health risk posed by coronavirus to children is extremely low.