All London primary schools will be closed after the Christmas break

All of London’s primary schools will remain closed next week, according to Mayor Sadiq Khan, as the UK capital struggles with high levels of coronavirus infections.

The city leader said ministers have confirmed that a general approach will be applied to schools, having initially chosen to keep a select number closed after the Christmas holidays.

Khan tweeted: “The government has finally made sense and turned 180 degrees. All primary schools in London will receive the same treatment.

“This is the right decision, and I want to thank Education Minister Nick Gibb for our constructive conversations over the past two days.”

Mr Khan previously called it “absurd” that some primary school students were told to return next week and wrote to the prime minister about his anger that local leaders had not been consulted.

Under the British government’s initial plan, schools in the City of London and Kingston were scheduled to reopen, but schools in 22 other London boroughs were reportedly closed.

The decision comes after the leaders of eight London boroughs wrote to England’s education secretary, Gavin Williamson, formally asking him to reverse the decision to reopen primary schools in selected areas.

Leaders of London boroughs where elementary schools were asked to return Monday have written to Gavin Williamson formally asking him to reverse this decision, which is not supported by the evidence. pic.twitter.com/2Ek7lLlwtQ

– Richard Watts #STAYSAFE (@ RichardWatts01) December 31, 2020

In the letter, the leaders said they were “struggling to understand the logic” behind a measure that ignored “the interconnectedness of our city.”

They noted that Covid-19 infection rates were higher in some counties that were asked to reopen schools than in others where schools were required to remain closed.

The leaders of the districts of Islington, Camden, Hackney, Lambeth, Lewisham, Greenwich, Haringey and Harrow signed the letter.

Dr Mary Bousted, Deputy Secretary General of the UK National Education Union, said the announcement should apply to the rest of the country as well.

“It is welcome that, although in their usual last minute fashion, ministers have corrected an obviously nonsensical position, one that they could not justify with evidence or feeling,” he said.

But you have to ask yourself: why are education ministers so inadequate and inept? Who advises them?

“And what is right for London is right for the rest of the country.

“With the highest level of Covid-19 infection and hospitals collapsing under the tsunami of very sick patients, it is time for ministers to do their duty: protect the NHS on Sage’s advice and close all primary schools and secondary to reduce the R Rate below 1 “

“It is time for the Government to protect its citizens, and in particular its children, by closing all primary schools for two weeks so that the situation is properly assessed, schools are much safer and children and their families protected.”