Schools: Coronavirus

(asked on 18th May 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons the decision was made to reopen schools on 1 June 2002 to (a) nursery, (b) reception, (c) Year 1 and (d) Year 6 pupils ahead of other age groups during the covid-19 outbreak.


Answered by
Nick Gibb Portrait
Nick Gibb
This question was answered on 28th May 2020

From the week commencing 1 June, at the earliest, the Department will be asking primary schools to welcome back children in nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6, alongside priority groups. We will only do this provided that the five key tests set by the Government justify the changes at the time.

The Department will prioritise younger children in the first phases of wider opening, for several reasons. Firstly, there is moderately high scientific confidence in evidence suggesting younger children are less likely to become unwell if infected with COVID-19. Secondly, evidence shows the particularly detrimental impact which time spent out of education can have upon them. In addition, older children are more likely to have higher numbers of contacts outside of school so pose a greater transmission risk, and they are typically better able to learn at home.

The three year groups within mainstream primary have been prioritised because they are key transition years. Children in Reception and Year 1 are at the very beginning of their school career and are mastering the essential basics, including counting and the fundamentals of reading and writing, and learning to socialise with their peers. We know that attending early education lays the foundation for a child's education and supports children’s social and emotional development. Year 6 children are finishing Key Stage 2 and are preparing for the transition to secondary school, and will benefit immensely from time with their friends and teachers to ensure they are ready.

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