Primary and secondary schools throughout Milton Keynes to remain CLOSED for longer as city is deemed too high risk for them to open

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson set out his school contingency plans for England in Parliament this afternoon, saying most primary schools would re-open as normal on January 4, but secondary schools would be delayed until January 18.

The exception is exam year pupils, who will return on January 11.

These delays will allow time for "mass testing" of students to ensure they are not carrying the virus, said Mr Williamson.

But he stated both primary schools would stay closed in areas of the country with "very high rates of Covid infection or transmission of the virus."

Milton Keynes is on this list of 49 such areas, along with many parts of London and Essex. The contingency plan will be reviewed in two weeks' time.

In the meantime, as in the March lockdown, all primary schools in the borough must remain closed to all pupils apart from those deemed to be vulnerable and the children of keyworkers.

Secondary schools can only offer face-to-face education to only exam years, vulnerable children and the children of critical workers, with remote education being given to all other students.

Over the past few weeks, the number of Covid cases has soared in MK and it is now among the top 10 per cent of Covid hotspots in England.