Day: 2 January 2021

Gavin Williamson U-Turns Over Primaries Reopening In a last-minute change-of-plan, the Education Secretary has declared that all primary schools in London will remain closed on Monday, regardless of whether they're located in Covid "hotspots" – prompting renewed calls from the teaching unions to close all schools across the country. MailOnline has more. A teaching union has called for all schools across the country to be closed for the start of the new term after the government U-turned on its decision to keep some primaries in London open despite rising Covid cases.The Government bowed to protests, legal pressure and scientific advice on New Year's Day after it initially omitted a number of the capital's boroughs from the forced closures.But Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, questioned why the same restrictions are not being rolled out across the rest of the country where cases are also surging.Gavin Williamson had this week released a list of London primary schools in coronavirus 'hotspots' that would stay shut for two weeks after the start of term next week.The list did not include areas where Covid rates are high such as Haringey whose leaders said they would defy the Government and support schools that decided to close.Under the Government's initial plan, schools in the City of London and Kingston were set ...