Boris wants all pupils back in school in September

LONDON: Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said it is his intention that children of all ages in England should be able to return to school on a five-day-a-week basis in September.

Johnson has said to “watch this space” when asked whether social distancing restrictions could be cut to help schools to return in autumn. Speaking to broadcasters during a Hertfordshire school visit on Friday, Johnson said it was “absolutely” his aspiration that pupils of all ages will be back in the classroom for a full five days a week in September.

“I want a world in which, as far as possible, provided we can make classrooms safe, and I think we can, I want every child, every pupil, every student, back in September. I’m sure we can get it done,” Johnson said.

His comments came as the government’s £1 billion plan to help pupils catch up with learning came under fire from education leaders.

Head teachers say they were not consulted on the details of the scheme, which will see the most disadvantaged children in England given access to funds to pay for tutors while the majority of the funding will be shared across schools to help pupils from all backgrounds affected by the lockdown.

College and nursery leaders have criticised the government for leaving their pupils out after it announced that £650 million would only be given to state primary and secondary schools for the 2020-21 academic year.

A further £350 million will be spent on a one-year subsidised national tutoring programme targeted at the most disadvantaged pupils in schools.

Sector leaders say the funding will not reach young children in nurseries and college students who are most “in need of support” amid the pandemic. It came as the UK’s chief medical officers agreed to downgrade the coronavirus alert level from four to three after a “steady” and continuing decrease in cases in all four nations.

Localised outbreaks of Covid-19 are still “likely” to occur, the advisers warned, and the virus remains in general circulation. But the downgrading – recommended by the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC) – means transmission of coronavirus is no longer considered to be “high or rising exponentially”.

Johnson said moving to a lower alert level would allow the government to “start making some progress” on the current social distancing measures and promised new guidance for the hospitality sector and businesses “very shortly” – an indication that restrictions could soon be reduced.

On the school funding announcement, David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges (AoC), said it was “indefensible” to overlook the needs of students in tens of thousands of colleges across the country.