Schools must stay shut until we know what dangers are posed by new variants of the virus

Editorial: By far the safest option at this point is to slow the course of the virus when vaccination for the most vulnerable and for key workers, including teachers, is so tantalisingly close

(Brian Adcock)

Few things remain certain in the age of Covid and even now, with Christmas (or what passed for it) over, parents and children are faced with renewed doubts about when the schools will be reopening.  

The government, in the evasive, over-spun tones of Michael Gove, doesn’t really yet know itself. The plan for a staggered return – broadly similar across all four home nations – remains in place. 

Ministers and advisers will spend the next day or two, apparently, making sure that plan is still “robust”. If it is judged to be less than robust, the return, staggered or not, will be delayed. Presumably, too, the decision may vary across the UK, according to the judgements of the devolved governments.