London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

England's secondary schools face delayed start amid on-site Covid tests calls

England's secondary schools face delayed start amid on-site Covid tests calls

ENGLAND’S secondary schools face a delayed opening for the new term after head teachers called for millions of teenagers to be tested for Covid.

The chaos, which has already blighted two academic years, could be set to resume after the Department for Education confirmed that schools will be allowed to stagger starting dates while pupils are tested.

The delay of lessons could last up to a week


Under the latest guidelines issued only a few days ago, close contacts of children found to be infected will be traced and if they test positive, they too will have to self-isolate.

If an Covid outbreak involves five people or more, schools may still even be asked to send home a class or year group, despite

As a result the department of Education has warned parents that it would not be “business as usual," with lessons in many secondary schools not expected to start until the second week of the new term.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of ASCL, the senior leader union, told The Sunday Times: “If you have nine million children going back to school, having been mixing through the summer, you can see the need to test them on site.

“Logistically it will not be challenging. We thought we could focus on the norm of education and already we have the spectre of disruption.”

But he admitted, that “parents may rightly feel frustrated."

Steve Charlke, chief executive of academy trust, Oasis added:

“This is all the last minute again. Head teachers have called for months for a way of opening schools and keeping them open to avoid a third year of academic disruption to children.”

The latest guidelines come as under fire Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, said in July that the success of the vaccine rollout would enable schools to have a fresh start in the autumn.

The included measures to stop including the teaching in small groups of bubbles and requiring pupils to wear facemasks.

They were followed by a series of measures announced by ministers in recent days, including promises that classrooms will be fitted with air quality monitors to improve ventilation.

Yet, amidst all the new measures, families will still be asked to test their children twice weekly for the virus until the end of next month when the policy will be reviewed.

Meanwhile, doctors have suggested that one of the best ways to keep children safe in school is to start offering the vaccine to 12 to 17-year-olds.

Earlier this week, Dr Hilary lobbied for the Government and JCVI to access their stance on the distribution of the jabs for those younger - reiterating that it’s proven to be safe.

Speaking on Goof Morning Britain he said: “The Moderna vaccine has now been approved by the MHRA, the UK regulatory watchdog, for use in 12 years old and older.

"That's really good news, it means it's safe, effective, available - the decision will be made by the JCVI about whether it will be offered to 12 year olds and over.

“If numbers spike up again, if we see children being hospitalised and suffering more severe infection from Covid, it's likely they'll review this and might offer this vaccine, or Pfizer... it may well be that the policy does change.”

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson previously promised that this the autumn term would signal a fresh start for schools

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×