Up to 20,000 pupils and teachers across England will receive coronavirus testing to monitor the spread of the disease as schools reopen, the Health Secretary has said, as the Government is set to update the country on its wider schools strategy.
With approval from parents and guardians, children will be tested to see whether they have Covid-19 or have had an infection in the past under the surveillance programme.
Matt Hancock is aiming to have up to 100 schools tested across England by the end of the summer term, with around 200 staff and children involved at each of those schools.
‘This study will help us better understand how common asymptomatic and mild cases of Covid-19 are so that we can support parents, pupils and teachers and support staff, and inform our ongoing response to this new virus,’ he said.
The move may allay some concerns that the lockdown has been eased too quickly, as well as those from teaching unions over staff safety.
Boris Johnson will speak with his Cabinet this morning before Education Secretary Gavin Williamson delivers a statement to Parliament on the wider reopening of schools.
Mr Williamson will likely face challenges on how many parents have actually sent their children back to primary school over the past week, in line with Government advice.
Speaking ahead of his speech, Mr Williamson told Sky News: ‘We know that being in school is vital for children’s education and their well-being.
With approval from parents and guardians, children will be tested to see whether they have Covid-19 (pictured: Deep cleaning the classrooms at St Alphege Church of England Junior School, Solihull)
Children sit at individual desks during a lesson at the Harris Academy’s Shortland’s school last week in London
‘Last week, primary schools began to welcome back some pupils and secondary schools will begin to do the same from 15 June, as part of our phased and cautious approach to getting children and young people back into the classroom.
‘Studies like this will be invaluable as we continue moving forward with those plans, and help us assess the next steps for getting all children back into schools, nurseries and colleges with their friends and teachers.’
With children less likely to show coronavirus symptoms, swab tests would be used to better understand the spread of the disease throughout schools.
Antibody tests on blood samples would also be available for a small proportion of schools to see if pupils and staff have had Covid-19 and recovered.
The Department of Health and Social Care stressed the scheme would be voluntary, with parents and guardians being asked to provide informed consent before testing is carried out.
Dr Shamez Ladhani, a paediatric infectious diseases consultant at Public Health England, said: ‘The results of this study will play an important role in informing wider surveillance planned for educational settings in the autumn term.
‘Through active surveillance, contact tracing and the close monitoring of any clusters of cases, we are committed to ensuring the safety of students and staff returning to school in the coming weeks and months.’
The Liberal Democrats’ education spokeswoman Layla Moran said the measure would be ‘too little, too late’ as she called for the Government to get the test and trace system up to speed to prevent a second wave of Covid-19.
Children in England began returning in a phased process last week, with Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils heading back first.
Under Government plans, secondary schools will start to reopen to a wider selection of students from June 15.
Mr Hancock last night also conceded that secondary schools in England may not fully reopen in September – with ministers also expected to row back on their pledge to give primary children a month in classes before summer break.
The Health Secretary said at the Downing Street briefing yesterday that it was still ‘our current working plan’ that secondary schools in England will not open until September ‘at the earliest’.
Matt Hancock said at the Downing Street briefing that it was still ‘our current working plan’ that secondary schools in England will not open until September ‘at the earliest’
Streets outside Eton College buildings last week remain very quiet during the coronavirus lockdown
But he admitted the government still need to ‘work out’ how this could be achieved ‘safely’ and that it was going to require ‘ingenuity’.
Asked at the evening press conference whether the Government thought schools would be reopen in September, Mr Hancock said: ‘Our current working plan is secondary schools won’t open until September at the earliest.’
The headteachers’ union leader Geoff Barton welcomed the change, saying the Government had promised something that was undeliverable, BBC Radio 4’s Today programme reported.
The Department of Education said it remained the ‘ambition’ for all primary school children to return before the summer holidays.
But last night there were indications the government was moving away from its pledge to have all primary schools open by the end of June so children can get at least one month’s education before summer break.
A senior source at the Department for Education told The Sun: ‘Some schools don’t have enough space – we have always said we will listen to schools so we are likely to step back a bit on that.
‘Some schools are bigger so are able to split kids up. But we understand not all will be able to do this.’
With the number of new deaths falling to the lowest reported since lockdown began, Mr Hancock said plans to further ease restrictions including the reopening of non-essential shops from Monday could go ahead.
In a reception classroom, children sit apart from each other on a carpet where crosses have been marked out for them to sit on, in a teaching environment safe from Coronavirus for pupils and teachers at Brambles Primary Academy in Huddersfield, northern England last week
‘When you look across the board, it is clear that coronavirus is in retreat across the country,’ he said.
But with the phased reopening of England’s schools having begun last week, he acknowledged older pupils could still face months without attending class.
Currently children are placed in ‘protective bubbles’ of no more than 15 children per class at primary school to help prevent the spread of this disease.
But this often requires using additional classrooms or different areas of the school, with some facilities not able to find enough space to fit all their pupils in.
Mr Hancock has also unveiled plans for pupils and teachers across England to receive coronavirus testing to monitor the spread of the disease as classes resume.
With approval from parents and guardians, children will be tested to see whether they have Covid-19 or have had an infection in the past under the surveillance programme.
Mr Hancock is aiming to have up to 100 schools tested across England by the end of the summer term, with around 200 staff and children involved at each of those schools.
Robert Halfon, the Conservative chairman of the Education select committee told the Telegraph he was very concerned about the lack of teaching for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
He said: ‘Eighty-five per cent of disadvantaged children are not learning. A survey of 900 headteachers said that possibly 700,000 children are possibly not doing schoolwork.
‘This will mean [they have missed] half the school year, and it could set these children back by many many months. This is going to have a massive impact on children.
‘It is incredibly tough for parents who may need to go back to work and will have real difficulties in terms of child care.’
Labour’s shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth warned many fear Mr Johnson ‘is starting to throw caution to the wind’, with worries that the economy is being crippled.
Mr Hancock said that the R rate of transmission for Covid-19 remains below the crucial level of one, above which it would spread rapidly again, in every region of the country.