A NUMBER of primary schools in Bolton will remain closed to pupils following the Christmas break.

It comes as teaching unions warn that bringing all pupils back to class could fuel the coronavirus pandemic and put teachers at “serious risk”.

Tonight, PM Boris Johnson is to make a televised address tonight setting out new emergency measures to control the spread of coronavirus in England, Downing Street has said.

Bolton Council is urging schools to remain fully open, but told The Bolton News that “a small number of schools have made the decision to delay the start of term”.

The local authority has not named the schools which are not fully reopening.

All primary schools should reopen to pupils today, but some have inset days at which only teachers attend.

A council spokesman said: “The position of Bolton Council, supported by advice from our Public Health colleagues, is that primary schools should open and children should attend. However, a small number of schools have made the decision to delay the start of term.

“Parents should send primary aged children into schools. Any enforcement action in relation to non-attendance will be dealt with on a case by case basis. It is not our policy to fine families for non-attendance linked to isolation or positive COVID tests within the family.”

Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Cllr Anne Galloway, said: “We have seen far higher infection rates in the borough in the first half of the Autumn term and all our schools remained open throughout despite the huge challenges. It is always a balance of risk – between the risk of transmission of the virus in a school setting and the risk to a generation of children continually having their learning and social development disrupted.

“Schools have spent a huge amount of time and resources in setting up comprehensive risk assessments to limit transmission of the virus, making their settings as safe as possible, and they have played a vital role in test and trace to limit the transmission to the wider community.

“We are keeping the data and evidence of the new mutant strain of COVID under review and we are in constant conversations with public health. We will continue to do all we can to support primary schools at this time to remain open for learning as long as it is safe to do so.”

NASUWT general secretary Dr Patrick Roach said: “It is now abundantly clear that the pandemic is seriously impacting on the ability of all schools and colleges to continue to operate normally.

“The NASUWT is calling for an immediate nationwide move to remote education for all pupils in primary, secondary and special schools and colleges.”

It comes after the NEU advised its members that it is not safe to return to classrooms.

Boris Johnson is to make a televised address tonight setting out new emergency measures to control the spread of coronavirus in England, Downing Street has said.

A No 10 spokesman said that the move was in response to the “rapidly escalating” numbers of infections following the emergence of the new variant.

The statement, to be made at 8pm on Monday, will be followed by the recall of Parliament on Wednesday so MPs can debate the measures.