Government to open England schools on 1 June as lockdown eases further
Boris Johnson has announced that English primary schools will be instructed to open on 1 June children in reception, year one and year six as a further easing the coronavirus lockdown.
Johnson said at today’s press briefing that there would be a phased re-opening of schools, with some secondary pupils to go back to school from 15 June.
“The education of our children is crucial for their welfare, for their health, for their long-term future and for social justice,” he said.
“We then intend from 15 June for secondary schools to provide some contact for year 10 and year 12 students to help them prepare for exams next year with up to a quarter of these students in at any point.”
Some councils across England have already said they would not open in June amidst concerns that it was not safe enough to do so.
Johnson conceded that some schools would not open at the press conference.
“I acknowledge that a 1 June opening may not be possible for all schools, but the government will continue to work and support the sector to ensure that any schools experiencing difficulties are able to open widely as soon as possible,” he said.
The government’s roadmap to exit the Covid-19 lockdown said that “non-essential” retail would also open in stage two along with schools.
However, the Prime Minister did not confirm whether they would be told to open on 1 June along with primary schools.
He said: “We remain firmly on that roadmap, but we are proceeding in a way that is provisional, that is contingent, that is entirely dependent on our ability to make progress.
“We are currently working to push our R [rate of infection] down and defeating the virus. You’ll be hearing more about that in the next few days.”