School bosses said there could be a “window” for children to go back to school for a few weeks before summer after they were forced to close their doors on March 23 to stop the spread of coronavirus. Headteachers at the UK’s two biggest headteacher unions said schools could possibly open on June 1.

The UK Government has declined to say when schools will reopen as the nation continues to fight the invisible killer disease, but exams have been cancelled.

But Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said schools could open around June 1.

He told The Sunday Times: “When the decision to cancel exams was made, it was thought that the peak of hospital cases would be in mid-May.

“It now looks as though the pandemic is at its height. That opens a window for schools to reopen before the summer holidays.

“That will not be before the May half-term, so we are looking at around June 1.”

Paul Whiteman, National Association of Head Teachers general secretary, said schools should open when it is safe to do so.

Mr Whiteman told Schools Week: “We haven’t seen any indication yet that the requirements of social distancing are such that things will change for schools in the short-term.

“That said, once the scientific advice is that schools can return safely, they should do so, even if it’s for a very limited period before the summer break, as this will allow young people to reacquaint themselves with the educational environment.

“It can’t be about flicking a switch on a Friday night and then thinking it’s all going to be alright on a Monday morning,”

Mr Barton said he looked forward to an “educational rebirth”.

He added: “I feel, quite viscerally really, that if the public health experts indicate that schools can return before the summer holidays, even for two weeks, there will be a sense of educational rebirth, of bringing young people back together.

“We need to think about how you do that, but I think there would be something incredibly cathartic about it.”

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has previously spoken about when schools could potentially reopen, saying: “In all these instances, we are driven and basing our decisions on the science and what is best for controlling the spread of this virus.

“I pay tribute to those who are helping keep our schools open for the children of key workers, that is valuable and the work that they’re doing is, I believe, well supported by the Department for Education.

“But they also are owed our thanks for doing that because that is vital at this time.”

A Department for Education spokesman added: “Schools will remain closed until further notice, except for children of critical workers and the children who are most vulnerable.

“We will reopen schools when the scientific advice indicates it is safe to do so.”

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