Government's "ambition" for all primary children to return to school before the summer

It is the government's "ambition" for all primary school children to return to school before the summer for a month if feasible, according to its COVID-19 recovery strategy, although this will be kept under review.

Further to the announcement by Boris Johnson on 10 May, the strategy says that schools should prepare to begin to open for more children from 1 June, including those from Reception, Year 1 and Year 6, but these will be "in smaller sizes".

It says that secondary schools and further education colleges should also "prepare to begin some face to face contact with Year 10 and 12 pupils who have key exams next year, in support of their continued remote, home learning".

The strategy says that the Department of Education will engage closely with schools and early years providers to develop further detail and guidance on how schools should facilitate this.

It will also provide 'COVID-19 Secure' guidelines for schools, as it is doing for workplaces.

The strategy also says that there is a large societal benefit from vulnerable children, or the children of critical workers, attending school and that local authorities and schools should therefore "urge more children who would benefit from attending in person to do so".