Will schools close under lockdown? Sheffield health boss explains why they ‘must stay open’

The National Education Union, which represents almost half a million teachers and education professionals in the UK, wants schools and colleges to be included the four-week lockdown from Thursday to Wednesday, 2 December – and for rotas to be introduced at the end of the lockdown to reduce pupil numbers in classrooms.

The union cited data from the Office for National Statistics, which showed the steepest rise in infections since the beginning of September had been among school-age children.

A petition calling for schools to shut has been signed more than 380,000 times.

However, Public Health England data published in early October showed the most common potential exposure setting for new infections – where people think they caught coronavirus – was the household, which was more common than all other settings combined.

Education was the sixth most common setting.

Greg Fell said: “Schools are vital for children and young people’s learning and emotional well being and we want to minimise any disruption to their education at this time, whilst at the same time keeping people safe.

"Schools have measures in place to limit the risk of transmission and we are working closely with them to provide support and advice.”

The Government has said senior clinicians still believe school is the best place for children to be and they will “continue to prioritise the wellbeing and long-term futures of our young people and will not be closing core educational facilities”.