ONE MILLION kids on free meals will get Government help if their schools shut over coronavirus, Boris Johnson promised last night.

The PM vowed that plans were in place for "compensation" if education establishments were forced to shut their doors to stop the spread of the deadly bug.

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Around 1.5million kids across the country get free school meals.

Schools remain open across the country for now, but the PM said that could change in future.

He told a press conference last night: "As we come to the decision on schools we will have plans ready to go on that, Gavin Williamson education secretary has a plan to make sure that parents with kids who are eligible for free school meals get the compensation or the treatment they need one way or another."

And he said he "completely" understood concerns about schools, and they were being kept under constant review.

The Co-op Academies Trust, which runs 25 schools, has said it will give all 6,500 pupils who get free school meals a £20 voucher every week to cover food, Times Education Supplement reported.

Vic Goddard, the headteacher of Passmores Academy in Harlow, has already spent £15,000 buying supermarket vouchers so children on free school meals can be fed properly.

Charities and groups have already written to the Chancellor, Education Secretary and DWP Secretary calling for the Government to outline what will happen.

Direct cash transfers could also be set up for low-income families to get extra food in during their weekly shops.

Last night No10 sources suggested they were in discussions about whether to postpone crucial GCSE and A Level exams too.

Downing Street suggested there could be a skeleton service where the kids of key workers such as NHS staff will continue to be taught to allow their parents to carry on working.

A No10 source said: "There has got to be a way of ensuring key workers get to work."

Millions of parents are already keeping their kids at home, causing large absences in classrooms.

Yesterday hundreds of thousands of people signed a petition demanding Boris take action and lock down the nation's schools as soon as possible.

Andrew O’Neill, head teacher of All Saints Catholic College in west London, said the situation was “unbelievable”.

He explained 30 per cent of his pupils had not turned up and a quarter of his teachers were now in self isolation.

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Mr O’Neill said: “The supply agencies don’t have people, and do you even want to bring in teachers who have been school-hopping and come into contact with many thousands of people for the last few weeks? It’s crazy.”

Kevin Courtney, of the National Union of Teachers, said: “Are teachers being put at unnecessary risk? We need information and we’re not getting it from the Government.”

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