Schools all across Greater Manchester and England are reopening their doors for the start of a new year today.
But this time, with some new COVID measures in place.
In a bid to help tackle the spread of the Omicron variant as children return to the classroom this week, all secondary school pupils in England will now have to wear a mask, both while in class and in all hallways and communal areas, and will also be expected to take a COVID test on-site once they arrive, as well as complete a test twice a week from home.
Some individual schools and local authorities in England had already required masks in classrooms, and face coverings were recommended in schools in England between 8 March and 17 May last year.
Face coverings in educational settings will be required until 26 January, according to Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi.
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Not only that, but it’s also been confirmed that the first week of term will even see Ofsted inspections paused, with schools having been encouraged to ask for a deferral if they are “significantly impacted by COVID-related staff absence”.
The reopening of schools today comes after England and Scotland recorded a further 157,758 cases of the COVID-19 in the latest 24-hour period.
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Several public services also had to resort to emergency plans to mitigate staff shortages.
Many schools and colleges are reopening this morning after Christmas.
We explain what pupils, students, parents and staff need to know about the measures in place to protect face-to-face learning, maximise attendance and minimise disruption to learning.https://t.co/GggPzkxGhs
— Department for Education (@educationgovuk) January 4, 2022
A return to school this week also comes after Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said yesterday that said the government wants to make sure schools are given “as many tools to be able to make sure that education is open”, but did admit that it was “more challenging to deliver education with masks on in the classroom”.
“This is an aerosol-transmitted virus and if you’re wearing a mask, if you’re asymptomatic, then you’re less likely to infect other people,” Mr Zahawi told Sky News yesterday.
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The government also said it would be making 7,000 air cleaning units available to early years settings, schools, and colleges.
Mr Zahawi added that the “most important thing” is to keep schools open and said that education was the “number one priority” for him and Prime Minister Boris Johnson and that they would do “everything in our power” to minimise disruption.
Schools and colleges have done an incredible job to ensure face-to-face learning can continue.
Our measures against the Omicron variant will help keep Covid out of the classroom and pupils in school👇🏽 pic.twitter.com/xHahu5miE3
The government is also said to be closely monitoring staff absences in schools, especially as that, coupled with rising infection rates at the end of last term, have led to fears of further disruption to education, with the four main teaching unions covering England, Wales, and Northern Ireland – ASCL, NAHT, NEU and NASUWT – plus the GMB and Unison, have issued a joint statement calling for urgent steps to help schools.
The statement said schools needed to avoid exam disruption for a third successive year, and remove uncertainty and additional workloads for students and teachers.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday admitted, while he was visiting a vaccine centre at Stoke Mandeville Stadium in Aylesbury, that while he was not happy about the plans for education settings, they were “necessary” for now.
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He also said it was “very encouraging” to see children getting vaccinated before going back to school.
Trams are officially coming to Stockport as part of £2.5bn investment package
Emily Sergeant
It’s official… Stockport is finally getting trams.
It’s been a long time coming, so long, in fact, that rumours first began swirling all the way back in July 2022 when then Prime Minister Boris Johnson hinted at in PMQs, all before Mayor Andy Burnham insisted in October 2023 that he had ‘big ambitions’ to deliver the project once and for all, but now it’s finally been confirmed.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has today revealed that Stockport will be connected to the Metrolink tram network thanks to a £2.5 billion funding boost from the Government.
At this moment in time, Stockport is one of only a few boroughs in the region that’s not currently connected up to the expansive Metrolink network, but all of that is set to change very soon, as Greater Manchester is beginning the construction of the town’s very-first tram line.
It will help deliver:
🐝 Eight rail lines and 64 stations into the capped system by 2028
🐝 A new tram line to Stockport
🐝 A new tram-train service connecting Bury, Heywood, Rochdale and Oldham
While the intention for trams to eventually travel to and from the town has been known for quite some time now, there hasn’t been much talk of timelines or when this would actually become a reality.
For now, it seems there’s still no timelines as such, but at least there’s confirmation.
The confirmation that trams will be coming to Stockport forms part of a lineup of exciting transport announcements this week, all of which Andy Burnham has called a ‘game-changing moment’ that will ‘underpin Greater Manchester’s green growth’ for years to come.
Trams are officially coming to Stockport as part of a £2.5 billion investment package / Credit: TfGM
Other announcements include the fact that Greater Manchester‘s Bee Network is to become a fully-electric, zero-emission public transport system by 2030, local rail lines will be brought into the Bee Network before the end of the decade, fully joining up bike, bus, tram, and train travel for the first time outside London, and the introduction of new electric buses, tram lines, tram stops, and transport interchanges.
North Manchester, Bury, and Oldham are the areas set to receive new Metrolink stops to support delivery of thousands of new homes, and Oldham, Rochdale, Heywood, and Bury will all be connected to each other via the Bee Network.
“Building on our strong track record, we can now move at pace to deliver the next phase of the Bee Network – creating the UK’s first fully electric, zero emission integrated public transport system by 2030,” commented Mayor Andy Burnham as the funding package was announced this week.
The Bee Network become a fully-electric, zero-emission public transport system by 2030 / Credit: TfGM
“With a pipeline of major transport projects better connecting our towns and cities, and local rail lines brought into the Bee Network, our communities will be the first outside London to be served by fully joined-up bike, bus, tram, and train travel.
“Greater Manchester has had a decade of growth faster than the UK average, and this funding can be the key to unlocking even more growth in the decade to come.
“It’s a major boost for our own plans to deliver £10bn of investment over the next 10 years, build thousands of new homes, create skilled jobs, and open up new opportunities right across our city-region.”
Featured Image – TfGM
News
Police still searching for answers six months after remains of baby girl found in Little Hulton park
Emily Sergeant
Six months on after the remains of a baby girl were found in a park in Little Hulton, police are still searching for answers.
It was on 20 November 2024 that Greater Manchester Police (GMP) received a call from a member of the public reporting the discovery of what appeared to be human remains in a park in the Little Hulton area of Salford – but it was only when officers and detectives attended the scene that they determinted the remains to be that of a baby girl.
At the time, police referred to the baby simply as ‘Baby A’, but it’s now be confirmed that they chose to name her Ava.
Since that day, a dedicated team from GMP’s Major Incident Team has worked ‘tirelessly’ to uncover the truth about who Baby Ava was and what led to her being left alone.
Detectives have followed up on hundreds of public tips, conducted thousands of hours of house-to-house enquiries, reviewed extensive CCTV footage, and collaborated with police forces and agencies across the country in pursuit of identifying who baby Ava was and securing justice for her… but as of yet, there are no answers.
Police are still searching for answers six months after the remains of a baby girl found in a Little Hulton park / Credit: Google Maps
Information from the public also led police to speak with potential witnesses nationwide, and time was also spent trawling the national missing person database, focusing on cases involving females who were potentially pregnant and reported missing, yet these were unsuccessful.
To this day, police continue to work closely with a range of experts.
Currently, a botanist is helping detectives determine how long Ava may have been at the discovery site, and work is continuing with an anthropologist, archaeologist, and specialists in dental and bone analysis to establish Ava’s age and ethnicity.
As investigations continue at a rapid pace, police have reissued their appeal to the public for information.
Police have since named the baby Ava as their search for answers continues / Credit: GMP
“We will never forget Baby Ava, and despite the challenges in the investigation, we’re committed to uncovering the truth,” commented Detective Chief Inspector Charlotte Whalley, from GMP’s Major Incident Team. “We are more determined than ever to find who Ava is, who her parents are, and all of the possible scenarios and circumstances which have led Ava to being separated from them.
“I know how heartbreaking this case has been for the communities of Greater Manchester and beyond. The support and compassion we’ve received has been unwavering, and we share the sadness felt for Ava as we continue our search for answers so that we can lay her to rest.
“If you are baby Ava’s mum, please know that you are not alone. You can contact us directly or ask someone you trust to reach out on your behalf. We want to help you.”
Anyone with any information that may be of assistance is asked to contact police on 101, quoting log 1319 of 20/11/24, or by heading to the Major Incident Public Portal here.
The Manc -
4th January 2022 
