Source: BBC News.
We believe this article useful by way of answering some of the questions you may have…
Why is my child’s school still open?
At the moment, the government is advising schools to stay open.
But the government’s chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, told MPs at a hearing on Tuesday afternoon that closing schools was still “on the table”, as one of the measures that could be used to fight the virus.
The UK’s approach is that children are not as vulnerable to the effects of coronavirus as adults.
The government is also concerned that closing schools would cause widespread disruption.
Many parents – including much-needed NHS staff – would have to take time off work to look after their children.
And there are concerns that if grandparents – a vulnerable group – were drafted in to help with childcare, infected children could transmit the disease to them.
There are also fears that vulnerable children, such as those in danger of neglect, could be at risk if schools were closed for a long period of time.
Could my child’s school be closed?
The government has the power to close schools.
On Monday, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson met head teachers about the challenges facing schools as a result of the coronavirus.
“The most immediately pressing challenge is the difficulty in keeping schools open with growing numbers of staff having to self-isolate,” head teachers’ leaders said.
“It is likely that a number of schools will have to close because there are too few staff available to teach, support and supervise children.”
Exactly what action schools are asked to take may differ around the UK.
Keeping England’s schools open is the “best course of action”, Mr Williamson has said.
We will of course keep you as updated as we can as things progress here at Newdale.
Miss Cook