PM tells mother and father ‘ship children to high school’ however SAGE knowledgeable warns 12 to 16-year-olds SEVEN instances extra prone to catch Covid

BORIS Johnson as we speak advised mother and father faculties are secure – however a SAGE adviser warned children are seven instances extra prone to deliver Covid dwelling.

The Prime Minister mentioned “the risk to younger individuals may be very, very small, the chance to workers may be very small” in a debate on faculties reopening amid a surge in circumstances.

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Boris Johnson appeared on the Andrew Marr present this morning

The PM spoke to Andrew Marr this morning on faculties reopeningCredit score: BBC

Kids are supposed to return to class from Monday, however unions are attempting to pressure faculties to remain shut – and SAGE specialists say pupils might not fully return to lessons until February.

Right now on the Andrew Marr Present the PM mentioned: “I perceive individuals’s frustrations, I perceive individuals’s anxieties, however there isn’t any doubt in my thoughts faculties are secure.”

He advised mother and father to ship their children again to major faculties tomorrow “in areas the place faculties are open”.

Additionally showing on the present, SAGE adviser Professor Mark Walport mentioned: “It is transmitted extra readily in youthful age teams as properly. It’ll be very tough to maintain it underneath management with out a lot tighter social restrictions.

“We all know that an individual between 12 and 16 is seven instances extra possible than others in a family to deliver the an infection right into a family.”

He warned more durable restrictions could be wanted, saying: “Enthusiastic about breaking each doable route of transmission we probably can – these are the issues which are completely vital, and it’s fairly clear we’re going to want extra.”

It comes as Ofsted’s chief inspector warned today that youngsters are being failed by yet more closures following the lockdown in spring.

Amanda Spielman mentioned children’ time exterior of sophistication ought to be saved to the “absolute minimal” as militant unions be part of forces to maintain faculties shut.

 

Writing in The Telegraph, she mentioned pupils cannot afford to attend.

“It’s clear that kids’s lives can not simply be placed on maintain whereas we look ahead to vaccination programmes to take impact, and for waves of an infection to subside,” she mentioned.

“We can not furlough younger individuals’s studying or their wider improvement. The longer the pandemic continues, the extra true that is.”

The Authorities has confronted chaos over schooling as a mutant strain of Covid surges through the UK.

On Friday evening, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson introduced major faculties in London will keep closed in a dramatic U-turn – simply days after officers mentioned a lot of the supply for youthful pupils would not be affected.

Primaries throughout Covid hotspots throughout London and the South East will keep shut for most youngsters for no less than one other two weeks – and will keep closed longer if their an infection charges don’t come down.

They are going to open for the youngsters of key staff, and weak kids.

SCHOOLS IN OR OUT?

A staggering 1.05 million major children must be home-schooled due to the shutdown.

Whereas secondary faculties in these areas might additionally keep shut. They are going to hear their destiny on January 13.

Throughout the remainder of the nation the return of secondary faculties has been delayed every week.

Grilled on the U-turn, Mr Williamson insisted he was left with no selection after the brand new mutant pressure of Covid swept by way of swathes of England at lightning pace.

And he hinted that lecturers can be put on the entrance of the queue for the jab – however solely after essentially the most weak are inoculated.

He mentioned: “Once we have a look at future waves of a rollout of a vaccine, as you’ll be able to think about, as Schooling Secretary I’ll be eager to see lecturers and all these help workers being up there on that listing getting that vaccine.”

It comes as teachers should be prioritised for the Covid vaccine to keep England’s schools open, MPs and heads have demanded.

The decision comes amid fury that greater than 1 million major faculty children within the worst Covid hotspots is not going to return to the classroom as planned.

Specialists begged ministers to make use of the various tens of millions of doses of the Oxford vaccine to inoculate England’s army of school staff.

They mentioned that is the one method to get children again to class shortly and forestall a large schooling postcode lottery opening up.

It comes as unions urge lecturers to not go to work subsequent week