UK drops plan to get all young children in school by summer

LONDON (AP) — The British government on Tuesday backed away from plans to have all primary school children return to school in England before the summer holidays, following concerns by principals that they could not meet coronavirus social distancing requirements if everyone returned.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson admitted that the goal for England's approximately 5 million primary schoolchildren from age 4 to 11 was not possible, given constraints related to classroom sizes, the need for social distancing and inadequate numbers of teachers.

“While we are not able to welcome all primary children back for a full month before the summer, we continue to work with the sector on the next steps,” Williamson told lawmakers.

Although many of England's primary schools have been open this entire spring for the children of key workers — including health care professionals, delivery drivers and journalists — the Conservative government had planned to get all younger children back in stages. Britain's school year normally runs until late July.

Last week, the very youngest schoolchildren were allowed to return as well as those in Year 6, who are due to go to secondary school come September. The plan was that all others would slowly return over the coming weeks.

“The ‘ambition’ to bring back all primary year groups for a month before the end of the summer term was a case of the government over-promising something that wasn’t deliverable,’’ said Geoff Barton, general-secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders.

“It isn’t possible to do that while maintaining small class sizes and social bubbles, so we aren’t surprised that the policy has been jettisoned," he said.

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