Schools: Prime Minister Boris Johnson says that opening classrooms is a 'national priority'

Image source, Getty Images

The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says getting children back to school in September is the most important thing for the country, calling it a "national priority".

The PM is understood to have made clear that schools should be the last sector to shut in any future local lockdowns.

It's reported that Mr Johnson believes the harm being done to children's education and mental health by not attending school is more damaging than the risk posed to them by the virus.

He wrote the comments in newspaper the Mail on Sunday and it's reported that, going forwards, schools should be the last thing to close in any local lockdowns in the future.

This could mean that if necessary shops, pubs and restaurants could be closed to allow schools to stay open.

Video caption, Children's Commissioner welcomes school reopening being 'national priority'

Schools across the UK closed on 20 March due to coronavirus, except to children of key workers or vulnerable children.

Although some schools in England reopened on 1 June to pupils in certain year groups, when a local lockdown was introduced in Leicester, schools there were shut again.

Video caption, Kids react to Leicester school closures after local lockdown

Mr Johnson has now said that all children in England would be returning to school next month, including in those areas currently affected by local lockdowns.

This includes Preston, Greater Manchester, Leicester and parts of east Lancashire and West Yorkshire, where people are not allowed allowed to visit each other at home or in gardens.

In his article, Mr Johnson said: "This pandemic isn't over... but now that we know enough to reopen schools to all pupils safely, we have a moral duty to do so."

Around the UK

Image source, Getty Images

Schools in England are due to reopen in September,

Schools in Scotland are due to reopen on from Tuesday, and although Aberdeen is under local lockdown restrictions Scottish Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said she remained confident schools there would open as planned.

The Welsh government have also been making plans for pupils to return to classrooms in September.

In Northern Ireland pupils, going into years seven, 12 and 14 are to return to school on 24 August with all other pupils returning from 31 August.