As millions of pupils finally return to school next week, Labour warned the chaos-hit Government: “Don’t make a mess of this too.”

Lack of clear guidance threatened to turn the post-lockdown milestone into the latest in a string of Tory fiascos.

With just days to go before the big reopening in England, ministers were told to get a grip and safeguard the education of a generation of children.

Shadow Education Secretary Kate Green told the Mirror: “We want to see every child back in school in September, but weeks of incompetence and chaos surrounding exam results will leave many parents worried that this Government is not up to the job.

“It is essential that schools have clear guidance on how to reopen safely.

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Joshua Lee disinfects tables at Queen's Hill Primary School in Costessey near Norwich, as they prepare to reopen (
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PA)

 

“The Government has been asleep at the wheel, it’s not been paying attention to the details of how schools are going to reopen, nor has it been sending a strong and clear message to parents.

“While school staff have been working really hard over the past few weeks to make schools safe, the Government has been missing in action.”

Following botched plans to reopen schools in June, there are fears some parents are still too scared send their kids back to the classroom.

Lib Dem education spokeswoman Layla Moran said: “It’s completely understandable that parents and teachers are still concerned. Headteachers have been completely left in the lurch without sufficient guidance.”

NAHT union chief Paul Whiteman urged ministers to engage with families and ensure they are very clear about safety guidance and the measures taken by schools to make them secure for pupils to return.

Kevin Courtney, of the National Education Union, said headteachers and parents need to see Government contingency plans for areas where coronavirus cases are on the rise.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson insisted guidance issued for schools was “incredibly clear” (
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PA)
Boris Johnson poses with his arms out-stretched in a classroom as he visits St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in Upminster earlier this month (
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POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

He added: “We think it is right for children to be back at school. We can’t necessarily say that it’s going to be easy all over the country.

“In some areas, the case numbers are higher and we think the Government needs to be working on contingency plans for those areas. Headteachers need them, parents need to see them because that will give them confidence in the rest of the country as well.”

Robert Halfon, chairman of the Education Select Committee, said getting kids back is “possibly the most important issue facing our nation”.

He added: “We’ve had millions of children not learning during the lockdown, with very little contact with teachers. ]

"We’ve got safeguarding issues, a potential epidemic of education poverty, we’ve got a digital divide with hundreds of thousands of kids not having computers at home... So whatever happens, we do need to get our children back to school.”
Pupils at St John The Baptist Primary School in West Belfast, as schools in Northern Ireland reopen to pupils (
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PA)

No10 resisted calls for masks to be worn in class – despite signals Scotland may require it in corridors and communal areas.

A No10 spokesman said: “There are no plans to review the guidance on face coverings in schools. We are conscious of the fact it would obstruct communication between teachers and pupils.”

Boris Johnson admitted parents “are genuinely still a bit worried” about their kids contracting the virus. But he added: “The risks are very, very, very small that they’ll even get it. But then the risk that they’ll suffer from it badly are very, very, very, very small indeed. I think it’s vital that parents understand that schools are safe.”
A year 7 pupil at the Lipson Co-operative Academy in Plymouth, Devon, has a temperature reading (
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SWNS)

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola ­Sturgeon said her government is consulting on recommending secondary school pupils and staff wear masks when moving around schools.

But England’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jenny Harries said the evidence supporting the move for kids over 12 is “not strong”. Other measures, such as kids sitting side by side or back to back, mean masks are not needed, she said.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson insisted guidance issued for schools was “incredibly clear”.

Teachers have been asked to draw up plans for kids to learn from home if a school has to be closed, he added.

Parents can be fined £120 if their child is absent from school, cut to £60 if paid within 21 days, with the threat of prosecution if they fail to pay.