MOST pupils in the UK have been unable to attend school since March 20 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Gavin Williamson provided an update to the public on school reopenings, announcing that all schools will be back in September.
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Will ALL schools reopen in September?
Yes, all schools in England will reopen this September, according to the education secretary Gavin Williamson.
Mr Williamson confirmed that current restrictions on group sizes in schools, colleges and nurseries will be lifted to allow all children and young people to return to the classroom.
However, parents who do not send their children to school will receive a fine.
The Education Secretary stressed that the government is doing "everything we can to make sure schools, nurseries, colleges and other providers are as safe as possible for children and staff".
Are any pupils exempt from going back to school?
Speaking on LBC, the Education Secretary said: “It is going to be compulsory for children to return back to school unless there is a very good reason or a local spike.
“We have to get back into compulsory education, and as part of that fines sit alongside that.
“Unless there was a good reason for the absence then we would be looking at the fact that we would be imposing fines on families if they were not sending children back.”
In his Commons speech on July 2, Mr Williamson said: "We must make sure all pupils can go back to school in September, giving them the opportunity to thrive and fulfil their potential."
Will social distancing rules be in place?
Covid safety measures will remain in place in schools, which are asked to keep students in contained "bubbles".
These "bubbles" will separate entire year groups or classes, with staggered start and finish times to keep them apart during breaks and lunch.
Older students, likely to be secondary school pupils, will be asked to keep their distance from each other and staff, where possible.
However, nurseries, childminders, and other early years providers will not have to adhere to group size restrictions from July 20, increasing capacity from the start of the summer holiday.
Whatsmore, primary school pupils will not adhere to social distancing rules while secondary pupils will follow the one-metre rule.
Teachers will be told to keep a two-metre distance from pupils and as far away as they can from colleagues.
And schools will be expected to have plans in place to offer remote education to pupils who are self-isolating.
What happens if a pupil tests positive for Covid-19?
When there is a positive cases in a school, the Public Health England local health protection team will advise the school on the appropriate action.
This could include small groups of young people and staff being asked to self-isolate for up to 14 days.
When there are two or more confirmed cases in a two-week period, health protection teams may ask a larger number of other children or young to people to isolate as a precautionary measure.
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If an outbreak in a school is confirmed a mobile testing unit may be dispatched to test others who may have come into contact with a person who has tested positive.
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Testing will first focus on a person's class, followed by their year group, then the entire school if necessary.
All staff, pupils and their families will continue to have access to testing if they develop Covid-19 symptoms and schools will be provided with easy to use home testing kits for children and staff who would otherwise be unable to get a test.