Covid-19: More than 120,000 cases in 24 hours in the UK

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As new coronavirus restrictions come into force today across three of the four UK nations, parents and pupils remain anxious about the growing threat of the Omicron variant and whether it will have an impact on schools reopening in the new year. Schools are currently due to reopen in all four countries, but as case numbers surge in almost all areas, the threat of schools closing for a third time in less than two years is a looming prospect for pupils and parents.

Will schools close in the new year?

Boris Johnson has vowed to keep schools open in January despite soaring numbers of Covid cases.

The issue is something the Prime Minister and Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi talk about daily, according to Number 10 insiders.

One told the Times: “There is a shared commitment across government to make sure they stay open.”

READ MORE: School closures loom

They claimed education is the government’s “No 1 priority” and school closures are “not something being considered”.

But the reality seems to be different, or at least it could be in Wales.

The Welsh government announced this week that the spring term would start late for all pupils, with staff given two planning days to help organise remote learning, if needed.

There have been fears building over the potential school closures and exam chaos in January having an impact on children.

In December, top school leaders said they had already made plans for mocks and even summer exams to be cancelled.

Robert Halfon, Conservative chairman of the Education Select Committee, has told MPs school closures in England were on the horizon.

Mr Halfon told MPs schools were “moving, sadly, towards de facto school closures”.

Elsewhere, in Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has made similar sentiments as the Prime Minister regarding schools.

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She has said she wants education to remain open “if at all possible.”

Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said: “We need a plan B for schools and colleges now.

“Covid-related absences are on the rise in both primary and secondary settings, and among teachers and school staff – leading to significant disruption for education. More than 200,000 pupils were absent for Covid-related reasons on November 25, and since then infection rates among school-age children have risen further; in particular, rates are rising very rapidly in London, the South East, and the East of England.

“As Omicron spreads, this disruption is likely to increase rapidly.

“Children have suffered huge disruption to their education since March 2020 and our children need the Government to act to keep absences of staff and pupils as low as possible. But the Government has so far failed to follow even measures on masks and isolation that are in place in Scotland.

“So, the NEU is calling for the Government to introduce a plan B for schools and colleges now. They must urgently increase the level of mitigations to slow the spread of Covid in our schools.

“Once more is known about the Omicron variant, these measures may need to be enhanced further or may no longer be necessary, following the vaccination effort. But for now, we are calling on the Government to adopt a cautious approach – a Plan B to stop the disruption of education.”

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