All children in England to return to school in September, says Williamson as he outlines £1bn catch up fund

By Sian Jones, Newgate Public Affairs

Today’s press conference was led by Education Secretary Gavin Williamson. The UK’s coronavirus alert level has been lowered from 4 to 3, which allows for some relaxation of social distancing measures. However, the Minister stressed that the pandemic was not over, and that localised outbreaks were still likely to occur. SAGE’s estimate for the R rate remains unchanged at 0.7-0.9, and it was crucial to keep this below 1.  173 patients have died in the last 24 hours, taking the total death toll to 42,461.

On schools, the Minister said, the Government was keen to see as many children back in school as possible, particularly vulnerable children, and he expressed his thanks to teachers and support staff who were helping to bring this about. All children in all year groups would return to school in September, he said, and the well-being and safety of children was the top priority. This measured return was part of the Government’s strategy for post-COVID recovery, and it was vital to support children in recovering lost ground in their education. To that end, an ambitious catch-up plan would be put in place for all children, at a cost of £1bn. This would include a £650m catch-up premium, which would include intervention programmes, summer schools and other measures. The package would also include a £350m national tutoring programme to increase quality tuition for disadvantaged children. 

This £1 bn funding, said the Secretary of State, would be on top of existing funding increases for schools. Over the next two weeks, further information and guidance would be published to help schools prepare. Mr Williamson stressed however that although there was a clear plan, the Government might also have to respond quickly to changing circumstances, and it was important to be adaptable and flexible. 

Asked how a full return to school would be possible given social distancing measures, the Minister reiterated his view of the importance of schooling in children’s development, and said that falling infection rates were positive news, which had now enabled the Government to consider these measures. However, appropriate protections were necessary, and further guidance would be issued in the next two weeks. A short review of the two-metre rule was being undertaken and would report back to Cabinet in due course. Over time, he was hopeful that bubbles of 15 children could be expanded to include the whole class. Asked about the relaxation of social distancing rules in Northern Ireland, Mr Williamson stated that the Government were much further ahead in many areas. 

Meanwhile, Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford announced that non-essential shops will open in Wales from next week, but the ‘stay local’ travel rules will remain in force for at least another fortnight. He did, however, say that ‘social bubbles’ would be considered in policy discussions from next week. Scotland, meanwhile, is moving to ‘phase 2’ of its route out of lockdown as rules on meeting different households and ‘social bubbles’ come into effect.