By The prime minister has previously said that reopening schools will be the first step. But teachers’ unions have said it would be ‘reckless’ to bring back all pupils together.
A final meeting is expected to be held on Sunday before Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveils the full ‘road map’ for the UK
School pupils in England are widely expected to return to the classroom on March 8, under plans for a gradual exit out of lockdown.
There is now said to be “a desire to reopen rapidly in the weeks after schools readmit most children next month”.
Sky News reports that the blueprint for exiting lockdown suggests that students in higher education and further education could be back in mid-April, and non-essential shops will also reopen.
Boris Johnson said on Wednesday that he will take a “cautious and prudent approach” to easing England’s national lockdown.
The Prime Minister is understood to be expecting updated evidence of jabs’ affect on hospital admissions and deaths to be with him by the end of Friday, ahead of setting out his “road map” next week.
The National Education Union released a statement saying ‘We are committed to bringing all children and young people back into the classroom as soon as possible. However, it is counterproductive if there is a danger of causing another surge in the virus, and the potential for a further period of lockdown. Wider opening must be safe and sustainable.
We therefore urge the Prime Minister to commit to 8 March only if the scientific evidence is absolutely clear that this is safe, and at that point go no further than a phased return of children and young people with sufficient time to assess the impact before moving to the next phase.
We are increasingly concerned that the government is minded to order a full return of all pupils on Monday 8 March in England.’
