‘Military operation’ to return teenagers in England to school

Head teachers are wrestling with the complex logistics of bringing small groups of secondary school students back from Monday, which one union leader compared to “something between a military operation and an exercise in mathematics”.

The ASCL head teachers’ union estimates around 90% of secondary schools will welcome some students with exams next year back into class.

But social distancing rules to minimise the spread of the virus mean only a quarter of Year 10 and 12 pupils can be on site at a time.

Where wider opening is being delayed, it is usually because of local concerns about the rate at which the virus is spreading, the union says.