Easing restrictions from 1 June

The following guidance is taken from the government’s coronavirus recovery strategy. Please note that the restrictions in this phase will be lifted no earlier than Monday 1 June 2020, and possibly later if the government’s tests for further relaxation of restrictions have not been met.

Social and family contact

• The government is exploring allowing each household to interact socially with one other household.
• The principle behind limiting this expansion of social contact to one other household is to help people suffering from loneliness and allow families to share childcare duties where useful, while simultaneously reducing the risk of chains of transmission.

Reopening schools

• Schools should prepare to begin to open for more children from 1 June.
• The government expects children to be able to return to early years settings, and for Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 to be back in school in smaller sizes, from this point. This aims to ensure that the youngest children, and those preparing for the transition to secondary school, have maximum time with their teachers.
• Secondary schools and further education colleges should also prepare to begin some face to face contact with Year 10 and 12 pupils who have key exams next year, in support of continued home learning.
• The government’s ambition is for all primary school children to return to school before the summer for a month if feasible, though this will be kept under review.