Education News Round-Up

London set to move into tier 3  

London, as well as part of Essex and Hertfordshire will move into England’s highest tier of Covid restrictions from Wednesday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced. 

This will mean pubs and restaurants must close, except for takeaway and delivery services. Sadiq Khan has warned the decision could wipe almost £2.7bn off London’s hospitality industry and put 160,000 jobs at risk. 

It will also mean that more than 34 million people will be in tier three when the change comes into effect.  

The restrictions will be a major blow to the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan who recently encouraged the government to allow all secondary schools and colleges in London to close early for Christmas and reopen later in January due to the recent surge in Covid-19 outbreaks amongst 10- to 19-year-olds in the capital. 

A spokesperson for the Department for Education said it was “vital” that children remained in school until the end of term. However, there is no news how these recent restrictions will alter their stance. 

Mass testing scheme announced for schools in London, Kent and Essex 

Health Secretary, Matt Hancock has announced a mass testing scheme for all pupils, families and teachers in areas of London, Kent and Essex. 

The news comes after cases in the areas have risen significantly faster in those areas, especially among 11 to 18-year-olds. 

The scheme has been developed in a bid to keep schools open, whilst still targeting the rise in infections. 

Matt Hancock said “While Covid-19 may be lower risk to children and young people, it still poses a significant risk to their families and communities”. 

It’s predicted that this will be a far more regular occurrence as we enter the new year. 

There is hope from school's further north in the country that this sort of testing will be readily available in the near future, after areas in northern England have struggled for large periods of the year with high levels of infections. 

Secondary schools in Wales move online 

All secondary schools and further education colleges in Wales have moved their classes entirely online from today. 

The move comes as a national effort to reduce the transmission of Covid-19 after a number of counties in wales stated that primary schools were set to close earlier. 

Schools and colleges have been advised to create online learning plans as soon as possible to ensure students can continue learning in a safe environment. 

Some have criticised the decision as short notice and warned that it could disrupt the education system. 

Although the teaching union NAHT had called for schools in Wales to shut and be replaced with online classes, they are said to be disappointed that the decision did not include primary schools or special schools, despite the fact some counties, include Cardiff and Swansea had taken the decision in their own hands.