Schools WON’T reopen after February half-term and only ‘hopes’ for March 8 return, Boris Johnson confirms

BORIS Johnson has confirmed schools WON'T reopen after February half term and hopes for kids to be back in class for March 8.

The PM told Parliament this afternoon children will continue to learn remotely for another five weeks.

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It will be a massive blow to parents and children hoping for schools would be able to reopen, as in the November lockdown.

Mr Johnson told MPs this afternoon: "It will not be possible to reopen schools immediately after February half-term.

"So our plan for leaving the lockdown will set out our approach for reopening schools.

"If we achieve our target of vaccinating everyone in the four most vulnerable groups, with their first dose by February 15, and every passing day sees more progress towards that goal.

"Then those groups that have developed immunity from the virus about three weeks later, that is, by the March 8, we hope it will therefore be safe to begin the reopening of schools from Monday, March 8.

"With other economical and social restrictions being removed then or thereafter as and when the data permits."

The PM vowed "the first sign of normality" would be schools reopening.

And he said getting kids back into classrooms was a "national priority".

Mr Johnson said "much more" would be clearer about the effect of the vaccine by mid-February and once the 13 million most at-risk Brits have had a jab, ministers will look at reopening schools.

"(By mid-February) We will also know how many people are still in hospital with Covid, which we simply can't predict with certainty today.

"So we will then be in a better position to chart a course out of lockdown, without risking a further surge that would overwhelm the NHS."

Mr Johnson also announced free school meals would continue to be supplied to kids until schools are allowed to reopen again.

Gavin Williamson has promised at least two weeks' notice before opening.

Ministers have repeatedly said schools will be the first to reopen - but haven't given any specific dates yet.

The Education Secretary was unable to guarantee schools would definitely open before Easter - and could only say he "hopes" they will do.

It came as:

• Boris Johnson confirmed plans for people flying in from at least 22 Covid hotspots to stay in a hotel for ten days
• But only high-risk countries and those with new variants are expected to be on the list - giving hopes to summer hols in Europe
• Boris Johnson is set to reveal a route out of lockdown in February
• Parents are facing a "real danger" kids could be learning from home until the summer
• The PM said he was "deeply sorry" for the more than 100,000 deaths from coronavirus in the UK
• The EU row over vaccines deepened last night as Hungary broke out to try and grab its own supplies from the UK and Russia
• Labour called for keyworkers to get vaccines sooner - in the first phase of the vulnerable persons rollout - after the first four groups have been done

The statement in the House of Commons follows last night’s news that the UK passed the grim milestone of 100,000 deaths due to the pandemic.

Children's Commissioner Anne Longfield has repeatedly warned of the untold damage being done to kids by staying out of school.

And she demanded No10 "think creatively" to "make something happen".

She went on: "There is a real danger that schools will remain closed into the summer ... because of a lack of planning."

She said primary Years 1 and 6 should be the first to return, followed by the rest of those schools. Secondaries should reopen later, Years 11 and 13 going back first.

Yesterday, experts at Public Health England concluded there was a ";strong case" for letting primary schools reopen.

They said children in that age group were "resistant" to Covid and the number of kids contracting the virus remained at a very low level despite a surge in infections.

PHE's chief schools investigator Shamez Ladhani said: “Everything we have learnt from the summer half-term and the recent autumn term indicates that they are safe to remain open."