The UK is following in the footsteps of several other European countries (Picture: Reuters)

Schools across Britain are to be shut down as part of emergency measures to tackle the spread of coronavirus.

At Parliament today Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said classrooms in England will close from Friday until further notice for all pupils except children of key workers and the most vulnerable. It comes after the regional governments of Scotland and Wales announced they would do the same.

Northern Ireland then announced it has closed all of its schools with immediate effect. The UK is following in the footsteps of several other European countries including Italy, Denmark and Ireland. At a Downing Street conference Boris Johnson said schools would not be shut for children of those in crucial jobs such as police officers, delivery drivers and medical staff, but it is not yet clear how this exception will be implemented.



The Prime Minister said the Government would ask nurseries and private schools to comply with the measure, which will see exams cancelled for this academic year. Westminster’s top scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said the decision was not being taken because Covid-19 is dangerous to children, but because it is an extra step to stop more at-risk people being infected.


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The Prime Minister said nurseries and private schools will also be asked to closed (Picture: PA)

He stressed that mums and dads should avoid leaving their children at home with older relatives ‘who may be particularly vulnerable’.

The Government vows to provide financial support to families with children on free school meals who may face extra costs as a result of the emergency law, but concerns remain about how parents who have to go to work will be able to handle the change.

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Speaking to fellow MPs in the Commons today Williamson said: ‘I want to provide parents, students and staff with the certainty they need. After schools shut their gates on Friday afternoon they will remain closed until further notice. This will be for all children except to those of key workers and where children who are most vulnerable.’

‘I know the situation has become increasingly challenging. I’ve said before that if the science and the advice changed, such that keeping schools open would no longer be in the best interest of children and teachers, that we would act – we are now at that stage.

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The UK Government chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance stressed the move was not because Covid-19 is dangerous to children (Picture: PA)

‘The spike of the virus is increasing at a faster pace than anticipated and it is crucial that we continue to consider the right measures to arrest this increase and to relieve the pressure on the health system.

‘The public health benefits of schools remaining open as normal are shifting. It is also clear that schools are increasingly finding it more difficult to continue as normal as illness and self-isolation impacts on staffing levels and pupil attendance.

‘The scientific advice shows that these settings are safe for this small number of children to continue attending. But asking others to stay away will just go towards helping us slow the spread of this virus.

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Staff from a cleaning company arrive at Parkside Community Primary School in Borehamwood as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in the Hertfordshire town (Picture: Reuters)

‘Examples of these key workers include NHS staff, police and delivery drivers who need to be able to go to work. Vulnerable children include those who have a social worker and those with educational health and care plans.’



Williamson said the Government is ‘expecting’ early years providers, sixth forms and further education colleges to do the same.

The Education Secretary confirmed assessments and examinations will not take place in the current academic year.

He said: ‘We will work with the sector and Ofqual to ensure that children get the qualifications that they need.

Some schools have already been temporarily shut as the disease continues to spread (Picture: Reuters)

Parents and teachers had been calling on the Government to take more action (Picture: Reuters)

‘My department is working closely with local authorities, representatives of early years schools and headteachers, regional schools, commissioners and bodies such as Ofsted and Ofqual about how to deliver this change as effectively as possible.

‘And we will do whatever is necessary to support local authorities, schools and teachers through the weeks and months ahead.’

Williamson said the Government will put in place a national voucher system for children eligible for free school meals, making sure all costs are reimbursed.

He said some schools are already doing this and that a nationwide scheme will be put in place ‘as soon as possible’.

The Education Secretary added: ‘I know that all of this is not going to be easy. I am asking nurseries, schools and colleges to be at the forefront of our national response to this crisis.’

The Education Secretary said he nurseries schools and colleges to be at the forefront of the crisis (Picture: PA)

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Joint general secretary of the National Education Union Kevin Courtney said: ‘We welcome the Government’s announcement that, for public health reasons, schools will now close. It is better for this to take place in an ordered way than the chaotic pattern of closures that was developing.

‘We also welcome the clarity that SATs, GCSE, AS- and A-Level exams are to be cancelled. This offers some degree of reassurance to teachers, their students and parents.


‘We note that, at this time of emergency, the Government has decided that teacher assessment is indeed a good method of giving reliable information about young people’s progress and achievements. We will return to that when this crisis is over.

‘Now, more than anything else the Government needs to concentrate on ensuring that children in food poverty are fed properly – these children are not just those on free school meals.’

Labour leadership contender Sir Keir Starmer said: ‘We must support social distancing measures that protect the nation’s health from coronavirus, but we must recognise that the closure of schools across the UK will raise major challenges for families across the country.

‘Many families rely on grandparents for support with childcare. Coronavirus makes that impossible for many. The Government must step in and support families who now face a choice between losing income because there is no childcare available or paying crippling childcare costs.

School closures are one of many social distancing measures up the Government’s sleeve (Picture: Getty Images)

England has followed the moves of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (Picture: Reuters)

‘The Government must put a clear plan in place to ensure our children can continue to learn whilst away from school, stay safe and keep mentally and physically healthy. Those who are having important exams cancelled need to know it will not deny them opportunities in the future.

‘The loss of free school meals risks millions of children going hungry, and for some this means missing their only hot meal of the day. Schools are pillars of our communities and may need to be reimagined during this period, so that those with additional needs get the support they need.


‘The stripping away of our social security has left four million children in poverty, unable to afford a meal unless they are at school. Whatever support provided due to coronavirus must just be the start of a renewed determination to end this scandal.

‘Teachers and support staff deserve great credit for keeping our schools running over a hugely challenging few weeks. The coming weeks and months will be more challenging still. We must do everything we can to help each other through this.”

The Prime Minister said he wanted to ‘thank the whole country for the efforts that people are making’ to comply with the Government’s emergency measures (Picture: PA)

School gates have been shut along with colleges and universities (Picture: AFP/Getty Images)

General secretary of the school leaders’ union NAHT Paul Whiteman said the country faces a ‘truly unprecedented and grave situation’.

He added: ‘The government has explained to us that the decision taken about schools today, led by the scientific and health advice, will balance the need to restrict access to schools with continuing to provide some important functions to maintain the fabric of society.

‘This is part of the state-wide response to this crisis. I know that the education sector wants to do all that it can to support the country.

‘The government has changed what it expects schools to do. They are to offer reduced access in order to prioritise the needs of the most vulnerable young people and the children of key workers.

‘Today’s decision is a vote of confidence in how schools have responded so far. Schools can be confident they are doing a good job. Now, they should also be entitled to expect the necessary support from other organisations with civic responsibilities.’

Prime Minister Boris Johnson had been under a great deal of pressure to keep teachers and pupils at home but had previously resisted the idea on the basis that children are not as badly affected by the deadly airborne disease.

The move is one of many moves the Government has kept up its sleeve as part of the delay phase of its ‘battle plan’ against the outbreak, which has already seen a number of social distancing measures rolled out.

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