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The Secretary of Education, Gavin Williamson, has indicated to the students that in a week they could be informed if they will return to the classrooms after the February semester.
Appearing on Sky News, Williamson said his Department of Education “would like to give all schools a two-week notice period” before they fully reopen.
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“What we want to do is notify the schools as far in advance as possible so that teachers can prepare, children can prepare and parents know how to manage their lives,” he said.
“We would like to give all schools a two-week notice period so they can prepare.”
When asked if that meant schools would be informed of the government’s plans in a week, before the February semester that will begin on February 15 for most students, Williamson said: “We want to let people know with the as far in advance as possible to prepare, to prepare, to welcome the children. “
However, he added that “one of the key criteria” as to whether schools will reopen to all students will be whether the pressure on the NHS has started to lift.
“That is why we had to make the national decision, very much in the national interest, one that I personally would never have wanted to make: to see the schools close again,” he added.
“We had to make that decision due to pressure on the NHS and the need to reduce movement in society and in communities.
“But schools were the last to close and schools will be the first to open.”
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When announcing England’s third national shutdown earlier this month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed hope that schools could begin reopening after the February semester.
Earlier this week England’s Deputy Medical Director Dr Jenny Harries suggested that not all schools may reopen at the same time in England as closure restrictions are eased.
She raised the possibility that schools would reopen earlier in some parts of the country than others, depending on infection rates.
