Schools in England told they cannot close early for Christmas

Schools in the London borough of Greenwich are being forced to stay open, even though the council wanted to move to online learning amid fears over rising Covid infection rates.

The government threatened them with legal action if schools were closed, as the Education Secretary insisted children’s education was “a national priority”.

But from January, all secondary schools and colleges in England will be given rapid testing kits to help find asymptomatic cases and reduce transmission.