Coronavirus latest news: Doctors launch legal challenge over Government’s PPE ‘failures’ What about Brexit: Join our video Q&A; with James Crisp and Asa Bennett today at 12pm Schools may stay shut beyond September, Matt Hancock signals Tory MPs call for legally-binding Huawei 5G exit date Satellite images of Wuhan hospitals suggest coronavirus began earlier than thought Subscribe to The Telegraph, free for one month The Government has been accused of putting theme parks above schools, as plans to get children back in classrooms before the autumn falter. The Children's Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, told the BBC she was "incredibly concerned" about the apparent u-turn on giving all primary school students four weeks of class time before summer, which is expected to be laid out by Education Secretary Gavin Williamson today. Yesterday Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, revealed secondary schools would not open until September "at the earliest". Ms Longfield told the Today programme: "I am worried that education hasn't had the priority the economy has, business, jobs, or the NHS... Children are in danger of being forgotten in the lifting of lockdown." She noted that "theme parks are going to be opening in a month's time - shops, restaurants - but still children will not be back in school." Disadvantaged children were "paying the penalty" and there were "huge educational gaps increasing" as a result, she said, pointing to the fact that many children were "not receiving the Zoom lessons". She added: "It doesn't give you confidence there is a strategic plan here." Robert Halfon, the Education Select Committee chair, echoed her thoughts, saying the UK was "a strange country" to campaign for pubs and cafes to reopen despite keeping schools shut. Read more below.
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