THE PRIME Minister announced on Wednesday that schools will not reopen after the February half-term.

Boris Johnson told MPs that it would not be possible to open schools ‘immediately’ after the February break.

He said he hoped it would be safe to reopen schools in England by March 8.

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We asked our readers when they thought schools should reopen.This is what you said:

ZOE OSUNDE: “I feel they should go back after Easter. Hopefully more will have been vaccinated by then and the infection and death rate will be lower. It is hard for children and parents home schooling and juggling work. But I fear going back to soon will result in another lockdown. More disruption for children, parents and teachers.”

TARA CHESHIRE: “Well looking at the primary school at break time if I am walking home from work, they are clearly open and plenty of children are in school.”

ALICE STYLES: “My grandchildren live in Gloucester and they go to school every day as their parents are key workers, the children get tested once a week and the parents twice a week. The children actually like going to school as they are just bored at home all day.”

CHRIS MOSS: “It’s never right having to home teach, they need schooling. They are missing out on so much, especially in the early years.”

ANGELA MOULDER: “Schools closed because cases were too high and rising when they come right back down the schools can reopen to all. Every family will decide if they want their kids to go back.”

MARIA KIGOZI: “My kids never stopped going, as I am a key worker.”

KELLY COOK: “Schools aren’t closed. There are more children at school than home learning at ours.”

TRACY HOPE: “There’s many parents I know who would like to send their kids back. Not to school. Just in general.”

KAREN MATHIESON: “When it is safe to do so and not before.”

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PETER ARGENT: “When the NHS has sufficient spare capacity to deal with the increase in infectious cases that opening the schools will bring.”

TOWNSEND A PAULA: “I cannot wait for them to open. It is difficult for adults, let along children. I cannot imagine the impact it will have later on.”

ANDY MORRIS: “Open the pubs first, and the rest will sort itself out.”

LISA CRASKE: “I think I need to go back to school to adequately teach my kids.”

SALLY ANN WITHEY: “If school staff get vaccinated in half term as has been suggested it should be ok for schools to reopen, alongside the testing in secondary schools that was planned for January return.”

DEBBIE STOCK: “Definitely shouldn’t reopen until we have this virus completely under control. A big part of the reason we are where we are now is because they went back too early.”

MARK TYRRELL: “Going purely on data currently available I think schools should remain closed until after Easter break.”

ALEXANDRA COSTA: “I don’t understand the issue around children not being at school. They are still receiving education remotely. Millions of children during war times do not go to school at all and they still get to be decent human beings. I believe this extra protection around kids and their mental wellbeing is actually giving them tools to be disrespectful and do all sorts under the false pretence of their mental health. They have an entire life ahead of them to complete studies and to get on with their lives, it’s not like this is just happening here and the rest of the world is carrying on as usual.”

EMMA CRAIG: “It is so sad that so many people are just looking for a short term fix by sending the kids back to the place that got this country in the horrendous state we are in right now - three weeks ago Boris told us all that the reason we are in this state is because of schools. Far too many people have died already, we just need to get this under control and save lives, and send kids back to school, when the time is right, not when they miss their friends or their parents have lost patience.”

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