SCHOOL RULES
Are schools closing in Tier 4 in January?
SCHOOLS in the worst-hit Tier 4 areas will be closed for at least an extra two weeks in a bid to halt the relentless spread of the mutant Covid strain.
All primary schools in London's 32 boroughs will now remain shut after Gavin Williamson caved in to pressure.
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Will schools close in Tier 4?
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has confirmed that schools in the hardest-hit Covid areas will remain closed because of spiralling cases.
This is except for vulnerable kids and children of key workers.
The Education Secretary said he would do "everything" to keep kids in school.
The majority of primary schools will reopen on Monday, January 4.
But, in a handful of areas where infection rates are highest, all schools will have to close, including primaries.
Mr Williamson stressed this would not be all Tier 4 areas — and schools were only being closed "as a last resort".
The decision comes as Sage advisors warn that schools may be closed until mid-February while a mutant Covid strain sweeps through London and the South East.
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She urged ministers to "do their duty" and shut all primary and secondary schools to stem the tide of a mutant coronavirus strain.
Dr Bousted said: "The question has to be asked: why are education ministers so inadequate and inept? Who is advising them?
"And what is right for London is right for the rest of the country.";
On January 3, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the BBC tougher rules may be required in parts of the country in the coming weeks.
This included the possibility of keeping schools closed, although he said this was not "something we want to do".
List of the areas where primary schools must shut
London
- all 32 boroughs
Essex
- Brentwood
- Epping Forest
- Castle Point
- Basildon
- Rochford
- Harlow
- Chelmsford
- Braintree
- Maldon
- Southend on Sea
- Thurrock
Kent
- Dartford
- Gravesham
- Sevenoaks
- Medway
- Ashford
- Maidstone
- Tonbridge and Malling
- Tunbridge Wells
- Swale
East Sussex
- Hastings
- Rother
Buckinghamshire
- Milton Keynes
Hertfordshire
- Watford
- Broxbourne
- Hertsmere
- Three Rivers
Expected return dates for schools
Tier 1, 2, 3 primary schools: Open on January 4 as planned
Key exam years: return on January 11 as planned
Tier 1, 2, 3 secondary schools: Delayed until January 18
Tier 4 hotspots: all primary and schools stay shut extra 2 weeks (unclear if this delay will be until January 18 or 24)
When do schools return after Christmas bank holiday?
The majority of primary schools were due to reopen again on January 4.
All pupils in exam years are to return in the week beginning January 11 - with all secondary school and college students returning on January 18.
This includes Tier 4 areas, apart for the worst-hit - with Downing Street pledging to roll out mass testing to help suppress the spread of coronavirus.
The full list of areas where schools will remain shut until at least January 18 has not yet been revealed - but will include Tier 4 hotspots with the worst infection rates.
This includes parts - but not all - of London, Kent, Hertfordshire and Essex and the plans will be reviewed in two weeks.
Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove has said the Government is still set on staggering the reopening of schools as planned, but he also warned of "trade-offs".
Mr Gove said the current plan was for primary school pupils, GCSE and A-level students and children of key workers to return to school on January 4/5, with other secondary school students returning the following week.
He told Times Radio: "We do keep things under review, and we'll be talking to head teachers and teachers in the next 24, 48 hours just to make sure that our plans... are really robust."
He said: "It is our intention to make sure we can get children back to school as early as possible. But we all know that there are trade-offs.
"As a country we have decided - and I think this is the right thing to do - that we prioritise children returning to school.
"But we have a new strain and it is also the case that we have also had, albeit in a very limited way, Christmas mixing, so we do have to remain vigilant."
In Scotland, pupils will not return to school on January 11 as planned.
Students will instead use online learning until at least January 18, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed.
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What coronavirus measures are in place in schools?
The guidance for schools to help stem transmission remains the same as before.
Measures already being used by schools include hand sanitiser stations, one-way systems and staggered break times.
Social distancing is also advised wherever possible for older students, with younger children encouraged to mix in small groups or “bubbles”
In schools and colleges where year seven and above are educated, the government said face coverings should be worn by both staff and pupils when indoors.
Pupils in England and Wales must also wear face masks in communal areas.
Secondary schools in England will be offered “access to additional coronavirus testing from the first week of January”, according to the .
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The website said: “This will help deliver the national priority of keeping as many pupils and teachers as possible in school beyond the start of term, minimising the spread of the virus and disruption caused by coronavirus cases arising in education settings."
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If a pupil tests positive, they must be sent home to self-isolate for ten days.
The school must then contact their local public health protection team - who will advise on other pupils or staff who should be sent home.
School kids to get DAILY Covid tests if their classmates test positive to get them back learning
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