Need-to-know: All schools to remain open unless DfE explicitly tells them to close

Friday 27 November 2020 5:40 PM
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 38364

If your school is directed to close, it'll still be expected to remain open to vulnerable pupils and the children of critical workers.

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What we know so far 

  • The DfE has announced that it will be the one to decide whether to partially close schools, and it'll do this only as a last resort
  • It could apply restrictions to a cluster of schools, local area, local authority or local region   
  • If your school partially closes, this’ll be kept under review and your school will be advised to fully open as soon as it's safe to do so 
  • All schools will remain open to vulnerable pupils and the children of critical workers at all times 
  • Your school's contingency plan is expected to include how your school will operate under the restrictions

How this will apply to different schools

The DfE might apply restrictions to one, some or all settings in an area. It hasn't yet set out how it’ll alert your school when restrictions are put in place. 

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