Schools refuse to open tomorrow despite PM’s orders – see full list of closures

A huge number of schools across England are refusing to open tomorrow despite Boris Johnson urging parents to send primary-age children back to the classroom.

Schools in Brighton and parts of Birmingham, the Black Country, Essex, Mansfield, Suffolk, Norfolk, Devon, County Durham, Northumberland, Berkshire and Derbyshire have decided to stay shut with more expected to follow.

Councils in other areas such as Kent and Cumbria are calling on the Government to keep primary schools in their regions closed.

Some of the schools which are refusing to re-open have made exceptions for vulnerable kids and the children of key workers, who will be allowed to return to classrooms.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson previously announced all of London’s primary schools would remain shut to most students, rather than just those in certain boroughs as set out earlier in the week.

Primary schools in the capital and some surrounding areas are not due to reopen until January 18, but elsewhere students are expected to return to classrooms tomorrow.

Have you been affected by school closures? Email webnews@mirror.co.uk

Full list of schools choosing to close

North East

County Durham:

Lanchester E.P. Primary School (Durham)

Newker Primary School (Chester-le-Street)

The Grove Primary School (Consett)

Delves Lane Primary School (Consett)

Bowburn Primary School (Bowburn)

Fishburn Primary School (Fishburn)

Seaham Trinity Primary School (Seaham)

Cotsforth Primary School (Peterlee)

Northumberland:

Swansfield Park Primary School (Alnwick)

Whittingham C of E Primary School (Whittingham)

Gateshead:

Kells Lane Primary School (Low Fell)

Kelvin Grove Primary School (Bensham)

East of England

Norfolk:

Many schools are closing across Norfolk after the council said it was up to head teachers to decide whether they should reopen, according to the Eastern Daily Press.

These schools will remain closed:

Robert Kett Primary School (Wymondham)

Colman Junior School (Norwich)

North Denes Primary School (Great Yarmouth)

Woodland View Junior School (Spixworth)

Dereham Church of England Junior Academy (Dereham)

Manor Field Infant and Nursery (Long Stratton)

Wensum Junior School (Norwich)

Sheringham Community Primary School (Sheringham)

Cecil Gowing Infant School (Sprowston)

John Grant School (Caister-on-Sea)

Rollesby Primary School and Nursery (Great Yarmouth)

George White Junior School (Norwich)

Mousehold Infant and Nursery School (Norwich)

Brundall Primary School (Brundall)

Woodside Primary School (Hethersett)

Hempnall Primary School (Hempnall)

St Williams Primary School (Thorpe St Andrew)

Suffolk:

Lavenham Primary School (Lavenham)

South East

Brighton and Hove:

The majority of primary schools in Brighton and Hove are expected to remain closed tomorrow.

Moulsecoomb Primary School posted on Facebook : “Due to a large increase in COVID cases in Brighton & Hove, the council have asked all schools to temporarily close and move to remote, home learning.”

Essex:

All primary schools in Colchester, Tendring and Uttlesford will stay shut tomorrow.

These districts were the only primary schools set to re-open in Essex, with the rest of the county’s schools remaining closed until January 18.

Berkshire:

College Town Primary School (Sandhurst)

South West

Devon:

Pinhoe Church of England Primary School (Exeter)

Midlands

Birmingham and Black Country:

St Mary’s Catholic Primary School (Birmingham)

Lane Head Nursery School (Willenhall)

Rosedale Church of England Infant School (Willenhall)

Short Heath Junior School in (Willenhall)

Nottinghamshire:

Farmilo Primary School and Nursery (Mansfield)

Leicestershire

Booth Wood Primary School (Loughborough)

Derbyshire:

Duke of Norfolk Church of England Primary School (Glossop)

North West

Merseyside:

Bedford Road Primary School (Bootle)

Areas where schools are not allowed to reopen

All schools in London and parts of Essex, Kent, East Sussex, Buckinghamshire, and Hertfordshire will stay shut tomorrow.

The areas affected include 11 boroughs in Essex, 9 boroughs in Kent, two in East Sussex, four in Hertfordshire, and Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire.

Children not attending school will get remote learning under the “contingency framework”, the government said. More information on the precise rules is here.

Schools in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

In Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the situation is ‘under review’ with online learning set to resume on January 11.

She added: “The new strain has already made a normal scheduled return impossible – but we continue to assess whether it will be possible to reopen schools as planned on 18 January.”

In Wales, Health Minister Vaughan Gething said: “We still expect to return as planned, with a phased return to schools, together with the serial testing that we will be introducing.”

Some schools are set to reopen as soon as January 6.

In Northern Ireland, Education Minister Peter Weir said primary and secondary school pupils will be taught remotely for a week from January 4, before returning to the classroom, although pupils in years 8 to 11 will continue with online learning until the end of January.