The government has announced that some primary school pupils in England will not go back to school until September, in a change to the previous plan. All pupils had been expected to return to school for the four weeks prior to the summer holiday, however, this is no longer considered feasible.
The intention to return to school for the final four weeks of term had never been considered as a practical possibility by the majority of head teachers. The decision to extend the time off school for primary school pupils follows Matt Hancock stating that secondary schools in England would not reopen until September "at the earliest".
Boris Johnson is expected to chair a cabinet meeting to discuss easing lockdown restrictions, prior to Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, will deliver a statement to the House of Commons as to how schools will be reopened.
Williamson will detail how many pupils have returned to school in the past week, however, it is expected that he will announce primary schools will no longer need to prepare for the return of all their pupils. Through removing this “pressure” school governors and headteachers will be able to determine when to reintroduce pupils as suits their own needs.
In England, children from Reception, Years 1 and 6, returned to school last week as part of a phased reintroduction. Schools in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland observe a different set of rules.
Anne Longfield, the children’s commissioner for England, has said that the decision to postpone sending children back to school is “deeply worrying”.
She continued: "It's a disruption we've not seen since the Second World War.”
