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26 April 2026

Tag: coronavirus

Johnson: Parents should ‘absolutely’ send their children to open primary schools

Parents should “absolutely” send their children in to primary schools in areas where they’re open next week, the prime minister has said. However, interviewed on the Andrew Marr show this morning, Boris Johnson repeatedly refused to say whether he would penalise local authorities that urge their schools to stay closed to most pupils in conflict […]

Back-to-school plans in chaos as unions launch legal action

The government’s back-to-school plans are in chaos after leadership unions began legal action and the country’s largest teaching union told its members they don’t have to work in unsafe environments. The government announced on Wednesday that most primary schools will reopen next week, while the start of term for secondaries was pushed back to January […]

London boroughs challenge government decision to keep primaries open

London boroughs are challenging the government’s decision to keep their primaries open despite having higher infections than areas told to close. The government announced yesterday that primary schools in Covid-19 hotspots would only re-open on-site provision for vulnerable and key worker children for the next two weeks. All other children will get remote learning. A […]

January school reopenings: Everything you need to know

The government has announced big changes to its plan for the return of pupils to schools in January. Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, said today that ministers were activating their contingency framework for schools, in response to a new strain of Coronavirus and rising case numbers. Here’s what we learned from the announcement and accompanying […]

Army ‘on standby’ to provide testing support – but most won’t be on-site

Armed forces personnel will be “on standby” to provide “in-person support” with mass testing of pupils next term, but most of the 1,500 people assigned will only provide support and phone advice. The government announced earlier this month that secondary schools will be provided with millions of rapid-response lateral flow tests next month to test […]

DfE staff offered £1k bonuses to work on school testing prep over Christmas

Department for Education staff have been offered £1,000 bonuses to work over Christmas on preparations for mass testing in schools, it has emerged. The news of bonuses for civil servants is likely to anger school staff who have been expected by the government to oversee test and trace duties during holidays, including the Christmas break […]

Mass testing in schools: Everything you need to know

The government has this week announced mass testing in schools from January 4. The announcement – in the last week of term – has caused uproar in the sector, with unions claiming the plans are “inoperable”. Here’s everything you need to know about the plans.   1. Mass testing ‘opportunity’ for all secondary schools… All […]