It is the governments plan that all pupils, in all year groups, will return to school full-time from the beginning of the autumn term.

Following guidance, the government is asking schools to prepare for all pupils to return full time from the start of the autumn term, including those in school-based nurseries. 
Schools must comply with health and safety law, which requires them to assess risks and put in place proportionate control measures. Schools should thoroughly review their health and safety risk assessments and draw up plans for the autumn term that address the risks identified using the system of controls set out below. These are an adapted form of the system of protective measures that will be familiar from the summer term.

​Essential measures include:

• a requirement that people who are ill stay at home
• robust hand and respiratory hygiene
• enhanced cleaning arrangements
• active engagement with NHS Test and Trace
• formal consideration of how to reduce contacts and maximise distancing between those in school wherever possible and minimise potential for contamination so far as is reasonably practicable

How contacts are reduced will depend on the school’s circumstances and will (as much as possible) include:

• grouping children together
• avoiding contact between groups
• arranging classrooms with forward facing desks
• staff maintaining distance from pupils and other staff as much as possible

​The Duchess of Cambridge to lead an online assembly on mental wellbeing among children

Tomorrow, the Duchess of Cambridge will lead an online assembly for the Oak National Academy during which she will speak about the importance of mental wellbeing among children. The theme of the Duchess’ assembly is ‘spread a little kindness’ and is based on a lesson plan which is available on the Mentally Healthy Schools platform. This platform was developed in collaboration with children’s mental health charity Place2Be and encourages children to explore ways in which they can show kindness and recognise the benefits of kindness to others.

The assembly will be live on the Oak National Academy website at 11am on Thursday 18 June and can be accessed here:

https://classroom.thenational.academy/assemblies/
​
A recording of the assembly will be available to view on the Oak National Academy website following the event.

​An update from the Secretary of State for Education on wider opening of education and early years settings

In a statement made yesterday in the House of Commons the Secretary of State for Education said that the Department for Education continues to follow the best scientific advice and that this cautious, phased return of education and childcare settings is the most sensible course of action to take. While we are not able to welcome all primary children back for a full month before the summer, we are working with the sector on the next steps to allow schools that have the capacity to bring back more children in smaller class sizes to do so before the summer holidays. We will provide further details in the coming days.
The statement in full can be found here:

The Secretary of State for Education has disapplied section 444(1) and (1A) of the Education Act 1996
(the Act), which create offences relating to the failure of parents to secure regular attendance at school of a registered pupil, during the period specified in the above notice.

Parents will not be fined, if they do not send their children to school.

​Testing now available to anyone with symptoms of coronavirus

The government has announced that anyone with symptoms of coronavirus is now eligible to book a test, ahead of the rollout of the test and trace service. Anyone experiencing a new, continuous cough; high temperature; or a loss of, or change, in their normal sense of smell or taste (anosmia) can book a test.
A coronavirus test can be booked here:
​
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/