Schools in Scotland are reopening doors this week and welcoming pupils back to the new academic year for the first time since lockdown began.
Scotland is currently carrying out a phased reopening of academic establishments across the country.
Schools in the Borders and Shetland are opening today, with most other local authorities following on Wednesday, and the Scottish government has said it wants all schools fully open by 18th August.
Various phased approaches being carried out are seeing the youngest pupils return first, staggered start and finish times, staggered lunch hours, shorter classes, cancelled assemblies and PE only taking place outdoors. It’s also believed that physical and social distancing among students will not generally be required, particularly among primary school students, but safety measures such as one-way systems are in place.
Teachers will also be required to keep a two-metre distance from pupils.
With all of this in mind, and with the government having posted official guidance for full reopening of schools in England, what can parents in Greater Manchester expect ahead of September?
Education Minister Nick Gibb confirmed during an appearance on BBC Breakfast last week that schools in Greater Manchester and other parts of Northern England would still be reopening “notwithstanding the local restrictions” in September.
But what is the typical school day expected to look like? What has changed?
Here’s everything we know so far.
Will schools reopen full-time and what COVID-safe measures will be introduced?
The Department of Education has confirmed that all pupils in all year groups will be expected to return to school full-time in September, and Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has also previously stated that there is “little evidence” at present to suggest coronavirus (COVIS-19) being transmitted in schools.
The government has set out a system of controls for schools and said that the following four points must happen in all schools, all the time:
Keep pupils with COVID-19 symptoms, or with family members with symptoms, away from school.
Introduce more frequent hand-washing procedures.
Promote good hygiene around the use of tissues for sneezes and coughs.
Have enhanced and thorough cleaning procedures.
It also wants schools to minimise contact between individuals pupils and maintain social distancing wherever it is deemed possible.
How will the typical school day work?
Once schools reopen doors in September, they will be expected to teach a broad and balanced curriculum to students, but as is to be expected, the school day may look different to previous years.
Once Schools in England are being asked and advised to:
Stagger start and finish times, but without shortening the number of teaching hours each pupil receives.
Minimise the number of contacts each pupil has during the day by putting classes or whole year groups into “protective bubbles”.
Avoid assemblies or collective worship with more than one group.
Schools may also introduce their own COVID-safe measures and those could be subject to review/change.
What about school drop-offs/pick-ups and breakfast/after-school clubs?
Once again, although it does not appear to have been listed as an official requirement in England as of yet, parents should expect staggered start and finish times to keep groups apart, and walking or cycling to school is also likely to be encouraged.
Parents should not gather in groups at school gates, or go on site without an appointment and schools will also need a process for staff and pupils to remove face coverings safely on arrival.
It’s believed that dedicated school transport services will be asked to:
Move children in “bubbles”
provide hand sanitiser
Apply social distancing where possible
Ask children over 11 to wear face coverings
When it comes to breakfast and after-school/holiday clubs, it’s hoped that they should also resume in September, but the government has acknowledged that it will be “logistically challenging” and may take some schools longer to put into practice.
Children should ideally stay within their year groups or bubbles, but if this can’t be done, then the government suggests schools should use “small, consistent groups” to minimise infection risk.
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Do I have to send my child back to school?
At present, attendance will be mandatory for all pupils in England from September.
The exceptions for this of course include if a pupil or a close contact to that pupil develops symptoms or test positives for coronavirus (COVID-19). It’s also believed that head teachers will follow up on any pupil absences and may even issue sanctions or possible fines for poor attendance.
Could schools close again?
It has been stated that whole-school closures “will not generally be necessary” in the future, unless advised so by government health officials, but if a school has a suspected coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, teachers will then liaise with local health teams to discuss going forward.
It’s likely that COVID-testing procedures will be carried out before any closures occur.
If pupils are not able to attend school due to necessary self-isolation or quarantining measures, then schools will also be expected to have home-working plans ready to go.
What else does the government advise?
The government has also advised that pupils in England should:
Wear uniform as normal.
Bring only essentials – including lunch boxes, books, stationery and mobile phones.
Take books and other shared resources home, but avoid unnecessary sharing – this also applies to teachers.
Take part in non-contact physical education – outside if possible – with “scrupulous attention” to cleaning and hygiene.
You can read the official government-issued guidance for the reopening of schools in England here.
For further information and guidance amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, do refer to official sources via gov.uk/coronavirus.
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New ‘postboxes of the future’ are being rolled out across the UK
Danny Jones
The Royal Mail is starting to roll out its line of so-called “postboxes of the future” across the UK this year, including right here in Greater Manchester.
It has been dubbed the most important and noticeable transformation to the classic British postbox in its entire 175-year history.
The national postal service teased the modern-day upgrade earlier this year, but the revolutionary new upgrade was officially announced this week, with Royal Mail ushering in a new era of digitally-driven units that should make many lives a lot easier – at least in theory.
Although they might look pretty identical to the iconic red boxes since before the turn of the 19th century have used up and down the country, there are marked differences between the new and the old ones.
Credit: Royal Mail
The biggest change made to the Royal Mail’s soon-to-be standard design is a digitally activated drop-down drawer, which will be able to fit parcels as big as a shoebox, hopefully saving us Brits on a fair few trips to the post office.
You will be able to scan a barcode via the updated Royal Mail app to activate the drawer for larger items; meanwhile, there will be a separate slot for letters and smaller packages.
Additionally, the new range of high-tech postboxes will also be solar-powered, helping the public limited company chase its ‘green’ targets.
Now owned by parent firm International Distribution Services (IDS) – who also oversee Parcelforce Worldwide – following the UK government’s approval of its historic sale to Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský at the end of 2024, the group as a whole is undergoing a significant overhaul.
Britain’s new solar postboxes were first trialled back in April in four towns located throughout the Hertfordshire region: Letchworth Garden City, Ware and Hertford. A fifth was later installed in Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire, too.
Despite being quickly considered a success on the whole, the initial design featured an entirely black top, with polls of civilians and Royal Mail themselves agreeing that keeping them red all over was more in keeping with the brand.
It’s like the old school phone box, isn’t it? We can’t picture it any other way.
📮Attention Postbox Lovers 📮
Royal Mail is upgrading postboxes to accept parcels. They'll gaining a new slot and a solar panel on top
Speaking in a statement, the Royal Mail‘s managing director of ‘out-of-home and commercial excellence’, Jack Clarkson, said: “We are all sending and returning more parcels than ever before.
“This trend will only continue as online shopping shows no signs of slowing, particularly with the boom of second-hand marketplaces. There are 115,000 postboxes in the UK located within half a mile of 98% of addresses, making them by far the most convenient network of parcel drop-off points in the UK.
“Our message is clear – if you have a Royal Mail label on your parcel, and it fits, put it in a postbox and we’ll do the rest.”
The new generation postboxes are now being made permanent in the same locations, with Edinburgh, Nottingham, Sheffield and Manchester next.
Keep your eyes peeled on the streets as they’ll soon be making a debut in your area.
Manchester Christmas Markets 2025 opening date announced – including Albert Square return
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Christmas Markets are merely months away, and the opening date and important details for 2025’s return have been announced.
It’s official… holidays are coming, and the countdown is on.
Just as we do every year, the Greater Manchester public has been eagerly awaiting news of when the city’s iconic Christmas Markets would be making a comeback for the 2025 festive season.
But now, Manchester City Council has announced that the famous wooden huts will be lining Manchester‘s streets once again from the first week in November, and for the first time in six years, Markets will also be returning to Albert Square.
The Manchester Christmas Markets 2025 return date has officially been confirmed / Credit: The Manc Group | Flickr
Now in their 27th year, Manchester Christmas Markets are known and loved for bring thousands of people into the city centre each year to fill up on the fantastic festive treats and to soak up all the Christmas atmosphere.
While restoration work has been carried out on the city’s Grade I-listed Town Hall building, markets have been spread all across the city centre in recent years, instead of the central hub being in Albert Square – but this year, some of the festivities will return to where they belong.
More than 200 stalls will also be spread across nine other sites throughout the city centre.
Markets will take over 10 major locations across the city centre / Credit: Manchester City Council
Promising to be plenty on offer for seasonal shoppers of all ages, 2025 will see the iconic wooden ski chalet market stalls take over King Street, St Ann’s Square, Exchange Street, New Cathedral Street, Exchange Square, Corn Exchange, and Cathedral Gardens, as well as Market Street and Piccadilly Gardens as usual.
Dominating a twinkling seasonal skyline on Albert Square will be an enormous 50-metre-high ferris wheel, as well as an enchanting vintage carousel for children, and other Christmas fairground-style attractions.
The new ‘A Taste of Christmas’ event will be open on Albert Square until Sunday 4 January 2026, bringing the space back into the heart of the city’s countdown to Christmas festivities and staying open throughout the festive season for families to enjoy into the new year.
Councillors are going all out to make Manchester the world’s number one Christmas city / Credit: Manchester City Council
“We’re going all out this year to make sure that Manchester is the number one city for Christmas – not just in the UK, but in the world,” commented Councillor Pat Karney, who is the Christmas spokesperson for Manchester City Council.
Cllr Karney also teased that there are a few other ‘Santa surprises’ to come that we can expect to be announced in the coming weeks.
He concluded: “In the meantime, dust off your baubles, un-twirl your tinsel, and get ready – Albert’s back.”
Manchester Christmas Markets 2025 will officially open across the city on Friday 7 November and close on Monday 22 December.
That is except for A Taste of Christmas on Albert Square, and the stalls at Cathedral Gardens – which will remain open throughout the Christmas period until 4 January 2026.
The Manc -
11th August 2020 
