UK coronavirus live: attendance at English schools will be ‘mandatory’ from September, says Williamson

The Department of Health in Northern Ireland has issued its latest estimate of R, the reproduction number, in the region. It is between 0.3 and 0.8, it says.

The Gavin Williamson press conference is now over.

The Mirror’s Dan Bloom says what Gavin Williamson said about it being “totally, totally untrue” to say the curriculum was being slimmed down (see 5.23pm) is contradicted by his own department’s guidance.

Q: You said all primary pupils would be back before the summer but could not deliver because some heads objected. How do we know that won’t happen again?

Williamson says he is working closely with the sector. He has absolute confidence they will deliver for pupils.

Q: Could schools have to close again?

Harries says a second wave is “quite a possibility”. And a second peak cannot be ruled OUT, she says.

She says it is possible there could be further waves after that.

She says the focus now is on ensuring that a second wave does not become a second peak.

She says it could be necessary for schools to close for short periods.

Williamson says they want to avoid the need for another national shutdown.

Q: The curriculum is being watered down and pubs are opening before schools. Have you let pupils down?

Williamson says it is “totally, totally untrue” to say that the curriculum is being watered down.

And he says 1.6 million children are back in school already.

He says there is no one who would have been more keen on seeing all pupils back than him. But that was not possible, he says.

UPDATE: But DfE guidance says the curriculum could be watered down. See 5.31pm.

Q: [From Channel 4 News] We have surveyed headteachers and more than half say they have not received their laptops.

Williamson says there are 10,000 orders that have not yet been delivered. And he says some schools have yet to submit their orders.

Q: Why has it taken you four months to come up with these plans?

Williamson says 1.6 million pupils have already returned.

But now they are in a position to send more children back, he says.

Q: Are you telling parents there is absolutely no risk?

Williamson says what we have seen with schools is the creation of safe environments. That is what will happen everywhere in September, he says.

Harries says she would have been worried if pupils had gone back earlier. Now the health professionals have a much better understanding of risk, she says.

Schools are very controlled environments, she says. She says safety is built in.

Williamson says we should not forget the value of children being in school.

Williamson says if the government needs to take action for local lockdowns, it will.

Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer for England, says younger children are at less risk from coronavirus than others.

Q: If you have lots of teenagers together who have not seen each other for months, they won’t socially distance, will they?

Williamson says he appreciates the problem. But children have to go back to school. That is why a system of controls has been introduced, to reduce the chance of the virus being transmitted.

He also says, as the father of two teenager daughters, that he thinks school has more control over them than they do.

Leanne asks how breakfast clubs will work if school groups cannot mix.

Williamson says the guidance covers this point. The government wants to see breakfast clubs reopening alongside the full reopening of schools.

Jamie from Manchester asks what is being done to ensure pupils have better access to online learning, particularly because of the risk of local lockdowns.

Williamson says this is why the government has been rolling out 200,000 laptops for disadvantaged pupils.

Williamson says from September attendance in school will again by mandatory.

He says this is essential if pupils are going to catch up with what they have missed.