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PRIMARY schools are to reopen at the start of next month, with Year 6 kids expected to be first to return.

Under Whitehall plans, Year 10 and 12 pupils will go back to secondaries soon after as part of a staggered recall.

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 Pupils learn how to use face masks and keep social distancing, upon return to school after the Covid-19 lockdown in Israel
Pupils learn how to use face masks and keep social distancing, upon return to school after the Covid-19 lockdown in IsraelCredit: AFP or licensors

Younger kids are seen as a priority to minimise threat to development and help parents go back to work.

Year 6 pupils are thought to be at the most crucial stage given it is their final term before starting at secondaries in September.

Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said of that age group yesterday: “We know that’s a rite of passage, you do it with your classmates, and yet you won’t have seen those friends for some weeks now. So it could be bringing those children back to school earlier than others.”

It is unlikely that England will take a significantly different approach to Wales.

But schools in Northern Ireland are not expected to return until September as it is believed absence rates will be very high.

Year 10 and 12 pupils are seen as the most vital secondary school pupils to resume as they sit GCSEs and A levels next year.
They could return around the same time as primaries or soon afterwards.

Meanwhile, one in five of the nation's kids will be urged to go back as early as next week.

Kids of key workers who have kept their children at home will be pressed to start sending their children in with freshly issued guidance.

Ministers thought around 20 per cent would go in, but around two per cent have been doing so.

Boris Johnson wants to give teachers three weeks’ notice to reopen on June 1, so hopes to make a formal announcement next Sunday.

He told The Sun on Sunday reopening primaries was “one of the things we want to do as fast as we can”.

Yesterday Amanda Spielman, head of schools inspection body Ofsted, backed a return. She told Sky News: “If you look at the interests of children, it’s very clear their interests are best served in the vast majority of cases by being back at school as soon as possible.”

She also said it was “extraordinarily unlikely” the Government will fine parents if their children do not go.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has previously said schools are likely to return in a “phased way”.

Whitehall sources say the decision is one of the most difficult of all restrictions.

Ministers realise some parents will be reluctant to let kids go back after ten weeks. That is why there are plans to reopen workplaces a week before — from May 26.

They hope it will alleviate fears of kids’ safety. The Government may also impose smaller class sizes.

 Pupils at a primary school in Jerusalem, Israel, keep a space between each other
Pupils at a primary school in Jerusalem, Israel, keep a space between each otherCredit: AFP or licensors
 Children of Scottish key workers following social distancing rules at Drummond Community High School in Edinburgh
Children of Scottish key workers following social distancing rules at Drummond Community High School in Edinburgh

But just 17 per cent of the public think it is the right time to consider reopening schools, an Opinium poll for the Observer claimed. Last night unions also came out strongly against the prospect of an early June return date.

Kevin Courtney, joint boss of the National Education Union, warned that it was “really premature”.

He added: “Instead, the government should be providing evidence about how this can be safe, how many more fatalities would we expect to see amongst school staff and parents and how these can be prevented or minimised.”

Mr Drakeford acknowledged parents must be confident that their kids will be safe. He told BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show: “You need social distancing for public health reasons, but also to persuade parents and teachers you are asking young people to come back into an environment that is safe. You can open anything you like but if people don’t think it’s safe to go they will vote with their feet.”

Government sources said the aim is to reopen schools from the start of June, but the exact date depends on scientific data. A crucial study will be presented to ministers this week showing the current infection rate across the UK.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said scientists think the R number — the number of people an ill person infects — is down to “between 0.6 and 0.85 per cent”.

That is lower than they believed last week, boosting hopes Britain is closer to being able to lift restrictions.

Tory education committee chair Robert Halfon said delays to primary schooling have an “enormous effect” on education and skills later in life. He said he would support “some kind of summer school” run by volunteers.

 Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said Year 6 pupils c
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Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said Year 6 pupils c
 Boris Johnson will unveil his timetable for lifting the lockdown restrictions next week
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Boris Johnson will unveil his timetable for lifting the lockdown restrictions next weekCredit: PA:Press Association

The Sun Says

THE news that the Government plans to start opening schools next month comes as a huge relief.

The benefit for disadvantaged kids is enormous: Children, particularly younger ones, thrive on routine. And though wealthy, middle-class parents might have the time to devise homework timetables, ordinary workers struggling to get food on the table certainly don’t.

But that’s just half of it.

If schools are allowed to open their gates, millions of parents who’ve been stuck at home will be free to return to work — kickstarting the economy and refilling the country’s empty coffers.

Yes, lifting social distancing restrictions comes with an element of risk.

But simple measures like staggering classes and play times should make teachers and parents feel safe.

Meanwhile the Government last night announced temporary controls on student numbers at universities.

It is aimed at preventing overcrowding but also to stop the best universities scooping up the brightest students.

A total of £2.6billion in tuition fee payments will also be brought forward to help cashflow. Another £100million will protect research.

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Matt Hancock doesn't rule out fines for parents who won't send kids back to school after coronavirus lockdown
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