Thank you for contacting me about the announcement that schools in England will close for most pupils.
I know that this news will be unwelcome for families up and down the country. Children’s education is vital and I believe it was right to exhaust all other options to try and keep schools open before taking this decision. I would like to thank teachers and school staff who have done everything in their power to make schools safe and to continue face to face learning for as long as possible. Indeed, I know many locally really did not want to close at all.
However, as the Prime Minister outlined in his address to the nation, the new, more transmissible variant of the virus has caused a rapid and worrying increase in the number of cases. Our hospitals are under more pressure than at any time since the start of the pandemic. This means that stringent action is necessary to reverse the spread of the virus.
Sadly, because of the increased transmissibility of the new variant, the lockdown will include the closure of schools. As of the 5th January, primary schools, secondary schools and colleges across England must move to remote provision, except for vulnerable children and the children of key workers. Early years settings will stay open for all children.
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