Atherstone pupils on standby as Prime Minister sticking to his timetable for gradual return to classrooms

'CHECK YOUR SCHOOL'S WEBSITE' AS COUNTY EDUCATION BOSSES PREPARE EVERYONE FOR PHASED COMEBACK[H2]

[H2] 'THEY WILL ONLY REOPEN FOR SOME CHILDREN EACH DAY TO REDUCE CLASS SIZES TO MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING'

PARENTS of pupils in Atherstone and district have been told to "check with school" as Boris Johnson's June 1 deadline for a return to the classroom draws near.

The Prime Minister is sticking to his date for education's restart in England but acknowledged "it may not be possible" for all of them to do so by next Monday.

Mr Johnson said, despite resistance from many councils, the Government planned to push ahead with the opening date – beginning with reception, year one, and year six in primary schools.

And like the reopening of non-essential shops – announced last night – the Government has chosen June 15 for secondary schools to provide some contact for year 10 and year 12 students to help them to prepare for exams next year, with up to a quarter of these students in at any point.

He said the Government was being "deliberately cautious" and that a final decision would be taken on Thursday as part of the formal review into the lockdown measures.

The PM added: "I acknowledge that the June 1 opening may not be possible for all schools but the Government will continue to support and work with the sector so that any schools experiencing difficulties are able to open more widely as soon as possible."

The planned announcement later this week comes as Atherstone parents warned the PM earlier this month they would not allow four and five-year-olds to be used as "guinea pigs" as part of a Covid-19 safety marker in Government's proposals on a phased return.

While some councils have indicated they plan to openly defy the Government, Tory-led Warwickshire County Council have stayed tight-lipped on the merits of reopening.

Instead it has focused on sending out messages on social media – giving guidance to parents for a "return to schools, colleges and early years settings".

It talks of "increasing our provision in school, whenever that might be" and "working collectively with headteachers" on practical help.

The county council says it want to help everyone prepare for a phased and "smooth" return to school and asks parents to assist the process by explaining to children they night have a different teacher when classrooms reopen.

It added: "Schools will only reopen for some pupils each day to reduce class sizes to maintain social distancing.

"Some staff will not be available to come into schools."

A latest tweet says: "Schools may gradually be opening to more children in the coming weeks and are preparing plans and making the necessary precautions.

"You can find out more on your school's website, social media or letters."

Former chief scientific adviser and chairman of 'the Independent SAGE' group, Sir David King, has urged the Government to push back the date to reopen the nation's schools while Professor Devi Sridhar, chairman in global public health at the University of Edinburgh, said the Government needed to decide what "threshold of risk" is acceptable to the public.

It is not a question of whether it is "safe" to open schools but of whether it is "safe enough".

She said in order to earn their trusts, politicians must be "completely honest with teachers and parents about scientific uncertainty".

"We know children carry the virus, we don't know the degree they transmit it to adults," she said.

Prof Sridhar said: "We need to have monitoring in place – testing, tracing and the ability to break chains of transmission and identify quickly clusters in schools."

The Association of Schools and College Leaders said it welcomed the Government's recognition that not all schools would be able to open in a week's time.

But Geoff Barton, ASCL's general secretary said: "(The Government) has not communicated the rationale for its chosen approach well, and it left primary schools with little time to plan and implement safety protocols."

"It is also worrying that the government's crucial test, trace, and isolate system is not yet in place and is unproven."

He added: "It is doubtful that any part of the education sector has ever been asked to do so much in so little time."

Teachers' union NASUWT said the decision to push ahead with the June 1 opening was "at odds" with scientific evidence on transmission.

NASUWT general secretary Dr Patrick Roach said: "The Government has to recognise that it has not won the trust and confidence of the teaching profession.

"Notwithstanding the Government's assertions, the bottom line is that no teacher or child should be expected to go into schools until it can be demonstrated that it is safe for them to do so."

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said: "That the Prime Minister acknowledges that flexibility will not just be possible but will be necessary is to be welcomed.

"We will take the Prime Minister at his word that schools will be allowed to react to their own local situations and will not be forced into opening or penalised if proceeding with appropriate caution."