Schoolkids are a top priority for the government who believes getting them back into the classrooms in the key to getting the nation moving again, The Sun revealed today.
According to the Sunday Telegraph , Mr Johnson is looking to give teachers three weeks’ notice to reopen primary schools to every pupil on June 1.
This will allow parents to return to work after Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said: “Home learning is not easy, particularly when one or both parents are trying to work from home as well.”
Year and pupils will then be the first wave of secondary students returning to school at a later point.
Whitehall sources said both moves could be introduced based on the current, reduced infection rate.
Home learning is not easy, particularly when one or both. Parents are trying to work from home as well.
Robert Jenrick
They added the proposed date of June 1 could be pushed back after analyzing fresh data from the Office for National Statistics next week.
The Sun has previously reported some schools could go back in June, and ministers wanted to get some back before the summer break.
And Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford confirmed the reports today.
He said they needed to give schools at least three weeks to get ready to reopen.
Speaking to the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, he said: “We are talking about the beginning of June there.
“We are not going to have all the children in on the same day.”
Year six kids and primary schools could be the first to go back, he said.
But equally important would be to pursuade families that schools were safe to return to.
“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 its safe to go there, they will vote with their feet.”
Officials are looking now how to plan to make sure schools are as safe as possible, he said.
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 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.
Officials will monitor the impact on specific areas and introduce local lockdowns if minsters approve the idea.
Transport is causing the largest headache as a return to work risks leading to crowded trains and buses.
Firms will be asked to limit the number of workers brought in to offices or factories – or to stagger starting times.
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