Boris Johnson is set to announce his plan to reopen schools in England on 8th March during an address to the nation on 22nd February.
Johnson has confirmed that the reopening of schools will be the first step in easing coronavirus restrictions. The full roadmap out of lockdown will be detailed at the briefing this upcoming Monday.
The current plans for schools differ between the four nations, as a devolved approach to the pandemic continues.
Boris Johnson says the government are hoping they can reopen the schools on 8th March, but this will be dependent on whether the case and infection rates are dropping. Teachers and parents have been told that a solid decision on when schools are returning will be made “as soon as we can.”
Gavin Williamson has confirmed that schools will receive a two-week notice period before schools will reopen to ensure staff have enough time to prepare for a safe and productive return of pupils.
Primary and secondary schools have been shut since 5th January following the implementation of a third national lockdown in England and have been offering remote learning since then. Only vulnerable children and children of keyworkers have been allowed to attend school for face-to-face learning.
According to The Telegraph, ministers are discussing a proposal that will see primary schools return first, and secondary schools a week or two later. Boris Johnson said he is “hopeful” that these plans can go ahead.
Though Johnson is hopeful, he has adopted a much more cautious tone towards the easing of this lockdown. Speaking to The Guardian, he said that it was the government’s “intention to start getting kids back to school from 8 March” suggesting the Government was considering – and hasn’t ruled out – a staggered approach.
In Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed there will be a staggered return to schools beginning with children in years Primary One to Primary Three going back from Monday 22nd February.
Secondary school pupils who need to undertake practical work in order to achieve a qualification will also return on the same date. The Scottish Minister has made it clear that no other pupils will return before 15th May.
In Wales, children aged three to seven, as well as some older pupils on vocational courses, will return to school full time after half-term (which for most schools is 22nd February). However, no date has been given for when other children will return.
The Stormont Executive in Northern Ireland has said that pre-schools, primary, and post-primary schools will be providing remote learning to pupils until at least 5th March.
In terms of the risk of opening schools, researchers at UCL have suggested that schools could open with a good safety/risk balance if we do not ease any other restrictions and if we are able to maintain 3 million vaccinations per week.
Opening primary schools and only exam-critical years in secondary schools would be the least risky scenario.
Experts on issues affecting children have also expressed concern about the wellbeing and educational impacts on young people. Talking to Metro, children’s commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, “warned that potentially one in six pupils may never be able to catch up on lost time in school.”
The government will be bearing these concerns in mind when making decisions about which lockdown restrictions should be eased going forward.
More certainty about the return to schools, the way out of lockdown, and the scientific risk that both of these things will entail will come through once the government has announced its plan on Monday.
Given the current scientific modelling and the government’s urgency to open schools responsibly, it is likely that strict restrictions of some sort will remain for a few more months.
Sanjana Idnani
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