What do school closures mean for parents and students?

Schools across the UK will be closed to all children – except those of key workers and vulnerable pupils – from next week in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus. 

The government announced the significant new measures for educational settings on Wednesday after it faced rising calls from parents, teachers and headteachers to shut down the schools.

Here’s what we know so far about the plans for schools, colleges and nurseries in the weeks to come. 

When will schools return?

Schools in England, Wales and Scotland will shut their doors on Friday afternoon and will not open “until further notice”. Schools in Northern Ireland will close from Monday. 

Boris Johnson said he could not say when the schools will reopen in England but he said the government will try to keep the duration of closures to an “absolute minimum”.

Nicola Sturgeon has said people should not assume schools in Scotland will reopen after the Easter break – which runs until mid-April – and she could not promise that they will open before the summer holidays. Stormont officials added that schools in Northern Ireland could remain closed until summer.

What will happen to exams?

All exams due to be sat in May and June have been cancelled. These include GCSEs, A-levels and Sats.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson confirmed exams in England will not take place this summer. The government will work with Ofqual to ensure that pupils get the qualifications that they need. 

Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Johnson did not say when and how these qualifications will be administered, but he insisted that it will be “done fairly” to protect students’ interests.

A decision on whether exams will sit in Scotland has not yet been taken. But they are not expected to take place in Wales and Northern Ireland.

Which children will be allowed in school?

Children of key workers, including NHS staff, police officers and delivery drivers, will still be able to go to school to ensure their parents can help fight the coronavirus outbreak. 

Vulnerable children, including those with social workers and special educational needs, will also be able to continue attending school under the plans. 

Schools supporting key workers’ children and vulnerable pupils will be expected to remain open during the Easter holidays, while officials are deciding who will be classed under this category.

Teachers and pupils may be required to work at or attend schools other than their own.

What about nurseries and colleges?

The government has said that it expects early years providers, sixth form colleges and further education colleges in England to close from Friday – except to children of key workers and vulnerable pupils. 

But the Welsh government has said childcare settings are expected to remain open for now.

Private nurseries and childcare providers have already warned that closures could force them to shut down for good unless the businesses are given additional financial support from the government. 

Will children still receive free school meals amid closures?

The government is to launch a national voucher scheme to ensure children eligible for free school meals will continue to have access to hot food during the school closures. 

Mr Williamson said vouchers redeemable in shops and supermarkets would be given to schools to provide “flexibility” for eligible children and he added that the government will reimburse costs.

It came after school leaders said they had already begun handing out vouchers to children that they were worried would miss out on a hot meal a day amid the closures.

The government hopes that a number of schools will still be able to open and offer hot meals to eligible pupils – if there is enough staff to provide this service. 

How will pupils learn?

Schools in the UK have already begun preparing online learning resources and have been getting work ready for pupils to take home amid potential closures.

Many schools will aim to teach pupils remotely through “virtual education”. Work booklets are also being produced which can be sent home with children.

But the education provision on offer will vary across the country and will depend on whether schools have the online systems and technology in place to offer remote learning. 

What does it mean for university entry?

It is unclear at this stage how university admissions, which relies on students’ A-level results, will work. 

But Clare Marchant, Ucas’ chief executive, has said: “Flexibility within the admission process will be enhanced and extended to deal with the coronavirus outbreak.”

Students will be emailed by Ucas to explain how this may affect them when changes are confirmed.

Alistair Jarvis, chief executive of Universities UK, has said students should not lose out on the opportunity to go on to university this year because of the challenges posed by the pandemic.