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Thousands of parents in England are unsure whether or not they can get their children to school today.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has claimed for months that schools are safe, a claim he has repeated in recent days.
But unions have expressed concern that, as the coronavirus pandemic rapidly worsens, schools are not safe for teachers and students.
All primary schools in London and some of the surrounding areas have been closed until January 18, but students from elsewhere have been told to return this week.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the school leaders union NAHT, said it was “very difficult to know” how many schools would be open at the beginning of the term.
“Some schools in Level 4 areas will be open to vulnerable students and families of key workers and will provide remote learning for others, but in other areas also Level 4, all students will be admitted,” he said.
“That is a confusing picture for both school leaders and families.”
Some councils have called on the government to allow schools outside London to remain closed.
Stewart Young, leader of Cumbria County Council, said the government had responded to its council’s request by insisting that schools there open as planned.
He said: “This is disappointing news and I think it is the wrong decision for Cumbria and for our families and communities.”
Leader of Kent County Councilman Roger Gough asked Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to keep all of the county’s elementary schools closed, saying it is “very difficult to justify” having some open while others were closed.
Primary students in Thanet, Canterbury, Dover and Folkestone and Hythe They are expected to return Monday, while students from the county’s other districts will learn remotely for two weeks.
Essex The county council said it was seeking “urgent clarity” from the government on whether schools should open in north Essex.
He said elementary schools in Colchester, To tend and Uttlesford – the only districts in Essex where schools were required to reopen – would use remote learning starting Tuesday.
Brighton and Hove The City Council has said that primary school students should not return until January 18, except for vulnerable children and those whose parents are key workers.
Council leaders in Wolverhampton, Norfolk, Move, Manchester, Durham County, Lancashire, Birmingham and Gateshead They have said they will support principals who decide that it is not safe to open schools.
One of the parents of a child at school in Wokingham Borough told Sky News that he received an email Sunday night with the news that the school would be closed and that students were expected to learn online.
He said: “The school does not provide (and has never provided) any form of online learning. In this case, ‘online learning’ is a very limited and not very useful set of perhaps three or four sheets of material and a link. to a couple of videos used by the school: Parents are expected to actually guide children through content, teachers have almost no contact. “
High schools in England will make a staggered comeback, with test takers expected to return on January 11 and other years to return a week later.
Comes in the midst of growth call for a national shutdown, as 54,990 others tested positive on COVID-19 in the UK, the sixth day in a row that new daily cases have exceeded 50,000.
Another 454 people have died with coronavirus, bringing the total to 75,024.
In Welsh, face-to-face learning is expected to resume for most by January 11 and to resume by January 18.
In North Ireland, Primary students will be taught remotely during the week of January 4-8, while Secondary students in Years 8-11 will learn remotely throughout January.
In ScotlandNicola Sturgeon said the “planning assumption” is still to open schools on January 18, but parents will be informed of any changes.
