• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home News

School reopening delayed in England amid spiralling virus infection rates

Primary schools in a “small number of areas” where Covid-19 infection rates are the highest will not reopen next week.

Henry Goodwin by Henry Goodwin
2020-12-30 16:59
in News
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

Hundreds of thousands of pupils will not return to schools and colleges as planned due to spiralling coronavirus infection rates.

Announcing a U-turn on the planned staggered reopening, Gavin Williamson – the education secretary – said students in exam years will return to secondary schools a week later than planned, from 12 January.

Other secondary and college students will go back full-time on 18 January, he told Parliament.

And primary schools in a “small number of areas” where Covid-19 infection rates are the highest will not reopen for face-to-face teaching to all pupils as planned next week.

There has been growing concern from teaching unions and scientists about the spread of the virus following the discovery of its much more transmissible variant, with rising case rates and hospital admissions in many parts of the country.

BREAKING – Huge list of areas under the government's "contingency framework", where primary schools must shut to all but vulnerable and key workers' kids until January 18. This looks like a colossal U-turn pic.twitter.com/14GV5qu7FI

— Dan Bloom (@danbloom1) December 30, 2020

Primary schools closed in 49 council areas until at least Jan 18: 22 boroughs of London, 11 boroughs in Essex, 9 boroughs in Kent, two in East Sussex, four in Hertfordshire, and Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire.

— Dan Bloom (@danbloom1) December 30, 2020

Williamson told MPs in the Commons that the Government had to make an “immediate adjustment” to its plans for the reopening of schools in early January.

He said: “We must always act swiftly when circumstances change. The evidence about the new Covid variant and rising infection rates have required some immediate adjustment to our plans for the new term.”

RelatedPosts

Foreign media outlets are loving the embarrassing downfall of Boris Johnson 

Reactions to Boris Johnson’s awful leaving speech as Frankie Boyle nails it

Reactions as PM blames ‘Darwinian’ political system and ‘herd instinct’ for resignation but not himself

In Pics: Boris Johnson waxwork appears outside jobcentre as PM quits as Tory leader

He added: “The latest study we have from Public Health England is that Covid infections among children are triggered by changes in the community rate. The study also says that the wider impact of school closures on children’s development would be significant.

“I’m quite clear that we must continue to do all we can to keep children in school.”

The staggered approach was due to see primary school pupils and Year 11 and Year 13 pupils returning in the first week of January, and other students going back later in the month to allow headteachers to roll out mass testing of children and staff.

Wednesday’s change of plan comes after warnings from experts suggesting a delayed return might be necessary as hospitals struggle with more Covid-19 patients than in the peak of the first wave.

A YouGov poll conducted overnight suggested that 43 per cent of 7,999 British adults surveyed would “strongly support” keeping schools in England closed for two further weeks after the Christmas break.

Just 9 per cent “strongly oppose” and 10 per cent “somewhat oppose” keeping school gates shut, YouGov said.

BREAKING: Health Secretary Matt Hancock says that three quarters of the population of England are now going to be in Tier 4 due to the spread of the second COVID variant.

Full list of areas moved into Tier 4 and Tier 3 here: https://t.co/mU95NyWMtV pic.twitter.com/tCMZIdII8A

— Sky News (@SkyNews) December 30, 2020

Related: UK records 981 deaths, another 50,023 new coronavirus cases

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

Devastation after huge blaze rips through farm – killing 15,000 ducklings

UK families to claim money from govt after Brexit-related travel chaos

Are Goats man’s new best friends?

Thousands of NHS staff in UK could have been put at risk of inhaling toxic fumes

Elevenses: 24 Hour Punishment People

Takeaways warned off serving morbidly obese man

‘This country is a farce’: Twitter reacts as Boris bins off Christmas

Fountain of youth pill could be on the horizon

Recession and severe downturn expected in no-deal Brexit, think-tank says

Killer strangled teen to death in violent snuff movie fantasy sex game before wrapping her in cling film

JOBS

FIND MORE JOBS

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.