A dose of normality will be delivered to families from Monday, as many children return to school for the first time since January.

But despite the packed lunches and scramble for the school run, some things will be different when youngsters step inside the classroom.

Boris Johnson has repeatedly said the first steps back to normality and out of lockdown would be children returning to schools.

And as part of the roadmap unveiled last month, getting ALL children - primary and secondary - back to education is the first real change from the past few weeks.

But what are the main changes parents, pupils, and school staff will be dealing with come Monday?

In brief:

  • Use of face coverings in classrooms for secondary age pupils and staff
  • Regular rapid Covid-19 tests
  • Mandatory attendance expectations in different school phases
  • Current expectations for clinically extremely vulnerable pupils and staff
  • Curriculum expectations
  • Elective home education
  • Exams

All of this is in addition to measures which were already being undertaken in schools including better ventilation of rooms and classroom spaces, minimising movement of pupils around school and limiting equipment pupils bring in to school.

Geoff Barton, from the Association of School and College Leaders, said that testing could mean that secondary school openings are “staggered”.

“It’s not going to be on March 8 in the majority of schools – part of this comes down to what is their school site like? How much space they have got, (you have heard of) drama studios and sports halls being taken out of action in order to be used for testing, some schools will be more constrained than others in terms of that.”

Mr Barton added: “If we see next week for secondary and further education as a transitional week of starting to bring them back into school, starting to teach them how the testing works, the week after that, starting the 15th, is going to look as normal as it might do.”

Face coverings

The Department for Education (DfE) is advising secondary school students and staff to wear face coverings at school wherever social distancing cannot be maintained, including in the classroom.

But the measure – which is set to be reviewed at Easter – is not mandatory, and in primary schools, pupils are not being required to wear face coverings when they return to face-to-face lessons next week.

Education unions have warned that greater testing of pupils and the wider use of face coverings “may not be enough” to cope with the increased risk of transmission as schools reopen.

Regular rapid Covid-19 tests

The Government has laid out plans for secondary school and college students to be tested twice a week.

But as they return to school they will receive three initial tests at school or college before transitioning to twice weekly home testing.

A number of people in England will have access to regular rapid lateral flow testing including:

  • secondary school pupils
  • primary and secondary school staff
  • households, childcare and support bubbles of primary and secondary-age pupils
  • households, childcare and support bubbles of primary and secondary staff

Primary pupils will not be required to regularly test at this time.

Attendance

Attendance will be mandatory for all pupils.

The usual rules on school attendance apply, including:

• parents’ duty to secure their child’s regular attendance at school (where the child is a registered pupil at school and they are of compulsory school age)

• the ability to issue sanctions, including fixed penalty notices in line with local authorities’ codes of conduct

But there is no need to reduce the number of people in school, says the Department for Education guidance. Everyone should follow the 'system of controls'.

Clinically vulnerable pupils

The advice for pupils who have been confirmed as clinically extremely vulnerable is to shield and stay at home as much as possible until further notice.

They are advised not to attend school while shielding advice applies nationally.

All 16 to 18 year olds with underlying health conditions will be offered a vaccine in priority group 6 of the vaccination programme.

At present, these children should continue to shield, and self-isolate if they have symptoms or are identified as a close contact of a positive case, even if they have been vaccinated.

Exams

SATS have been cancelled for summer 2021 although schools may use past papers to 'inform teaching' and help in annual reports.

A full programme of primary assessments are expected to take place in the 2021 to 2022 academic year.

GCSEs, A and AS level exams will not go ahead this summer as planned.

Students taking GCSE, AS and A levels, will receive grades based on teacher assessment, with teachers supported to reach their judgements by guidance and training from the exam boards.