Manchester council says it's 'highly unlikely' that schools will reopen in line with the government's plan next month. While the proposal is to get children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 back in schools first under a phased return from June 1, the authority admits there 'cannot be a uniform approach across the city'.
Instead, it says schools and colleges and other settings will 'have to develop their own flexible plans and work at their own pace from 1 June in order to start to safely and gradually increase the number of children attending at any one time." A statement from the council says: "We're very clear also that in any plan the safety of pupils and staff must be absolutely paramount. "For this reason, in our primary schools it is