Schools will not open to most pupils until middle of January
Secondary schools in England will not open to most pupils until the middle of January as ministers battle to bring the coronavirus pandemic under control.
Primary schools in a small number of areas of England where coronavirus infection rates are at their highest will also not reopen for face-to-face teaching next week, education secretary Gavin Williamson has announced.
The full list will be published by the government later today, Mr Williamson, said as he told MPs ministers must always act swiftly when circumstances change.
The announcement came less than an hour after health secretary Matt Hancock told MPs that three-quarters of the country would be placed under the tightest coronavirus restrictions from midnight tonight.
As ministers desperately try to bring the latest wave of the...