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Schools back 8 March in England with Covid tests taken at home

All schools in สล็อตxo England are going back from 8 March, the prime minister has confirmed, with schools able to decide a phased return during that week.

There will be mass Covid testing in secondary schools - with parents expected to carry out the testing at home, after three tests in school.

Home testing for secondary pupils will be twice weekly - but with no testing so far planned for primary pupils.

Face masks will also be required in some secondary school classrooms.

Attendance will be compulsory when schools go back, with penalty fines able to be imposed.

"All the evidence shows that schools are safe and the risk posed to children by Covid is vanishingly small," the Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a press conference on Monday evening.

"But to offer even greater reassurance we're introducing twice weekly testing of secondary school and college pupils and asking them to wear face coverings for the rest of this term."

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said "the priority must be for all children to be back in school as quickly as possible and to stay in school".

But Geoff Barton, leader of the ASCL head teachers' union, warned getting all pupils back at the same time "runs the risk of increasing the rate of infection and prolonging the damaging cycle of stop-start schooling".

Individual schools can decide on testing arrangements and how year groups go back during the week, but Mr Barton suggested it could need to be staggered over two weeks.

UK chief medical adviser Chris Whitty emphasised his support for the return to school - and that the benefits outweighed any "very small residual risk".

"Everything is strongly in favour of children, whether primary or secondary, going to school - and the data on that I think are unambiguous," he said.

Prof Whitty said there were extra safety measures in place for this reopening - with testing, the greater use of masks and an early "natural fire break" of the Easter holidays.