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Phased reopening of schools on June 1 will go ahead as planned in England, Boris Johnson says

Teaching unions have warned it is not safe to reopen schools in June: PA
Teaching unions have warned it is not safe to reopen schools in June: PA

A phased reopening of schools on June 1 is set to go ahead as planned in England, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.

Speaking in Downing Street on Sunday, Mr Johnson said the phased reopening of schools was “crucial” for children.

“Today, I can announce it is our intention to go ahead with that as planned on June 1, a week on Monday," he said.

“We then intend from June 15 for secondary schools to provide some contact for year 10 and year 12 students to help them to prepare for exams next year, with up to a quarter of these students in at any point.”

He added: “The education of children is crucial for their welfare, for their long-term future and for social justice,” he said.

“In line with the approach being taken in many other countries, we want to start getting our children back into the classroom in a way that is as manageable and as safe as possible.

“We said we would begin with early years’ settings and reception, year one, and year six in primary schools.”

The Prime Minister said the Government was taking a "deliberately cautious approach" to reopening schools, adding that a final decision will be taken on Thursday.

“By opening schools to more pupils in this limited way we are taking a deliberately cautious approach and this comes after a constructive period of consultation with school teachers and unions," he said.

He added: “The Department for Education will engage with teaching unions, local authorities and school leaders in the coming days giving them an opportunity to ask questions and probe the evidence behind our plans.

“The final decision will be taken as part of the formal review into lockdown measures which the law requires us to undertake by Thursday.”

“I think it is important for the Government to be clear now so that teachers and parents can plan in earnest for schools to reopen a week on Monday.”

But Mr Johnson acknowledged that it might not be possible for all schools to reopen as planned.

“I acknowledge that the June 1 opening may not be possible for all schools but the Government will continue to support and work with the sector so that any schools experiencing difficulties are able to open more widely as soon as possible," he said.

He admitted it would be “tough” to reopen schools but promised to work with councils on the plan for England.

“This is going to be tough,” he said, as he thanked teachers and staff who had worked to keep schools operating for the children of key workers and for vulnerable pupils.

“What we will do is make sure that we stagger things and we pace things and we work directly with you, with local authorities, to make sure that there is a plan.”

He said the key to fully reopening schools by September “at the very latest” is to “keep pushing down” the coronavirus R value – the rate at which the disease is transmitted.

“That is going to be the most effective way to ensure that not just our schools but all our economy is ready to go back as fast as possible,” he said.

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