Prime Minister announces schools won't reopen doors until March at the earliest

Schools will not reopen their doors until March at the earliest, the Prime Minister confirmed today (Wednesday).

Speaking in the House of Commons this afternoon, Boris Johnson confirmed that schools in England will reopen for the majority of pupils on Monday, March 8 at the earliest.

They are currently open to vulnerable pupils and the children of key workers, with most pupils learning remotely from home.

The reopening will only happen, though, if vaccinations continue to take place at the same rate they have been over the last few weeks.

He said: “Our plan for leaving the lockdown will set out our approach towards reopening schools.

“If we achieve our target of vaccinating everyone in the four most vulnerable groups with their first dose by February 15, and every passing day sees more progress towards that goal, then those groups will have developed immunity from the virus about three weeks later.

“We hope it will therefore be safe to begin the reopening of schools from Monday, March 8, with other economic and social restrictions being removed then or thereafter, as and when the data permits.

“I know that the measures I am setting out today will be deeply disappointing for all of us, but the way forward has been clear ever since the vaccine arrived, and as we inoculate more people hour by hour, this is the time to hold our nerve in the endgame of the battle against the virus.”