Brighton and Hove school closures: Majority of schools to shut

Green Party Brighton and Hove City Council leader Phelim Mac Cafferty wrote to headteachers and advised them not to reopen as coronavirus infections continue to soar.

That was despite the Prime Minister’s advice today that primary schools in Brighton and Hove should stay open and that schools are safe.

But within hours of Cllr Mac Cafferty sending a letter to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson over closures, headteachers sent emails to parents to tell them pupils will be kept out of classrooms and will be learning from home.

Brighton and Hove City Council leader Phelim Mac Cafferty

Council sources now say the majority of primary schools will be closed tomorrow.

Among them is Moulsecoomb Primary School in Brighton, which announced it will be closed due to increased Covid-19 cases in the area.

Writing on the school’s Facebook page, head teacher Adam Sutton said: “I’m sorry that the New Year has started in this way, we look forward to seeing all children back with us soon.”

Read more on this story:

• Council leader tells schools to close as coronavirus infections soar
• Boris Johnson says Brighton an Hove schools are safe and should stay open

On Friday the government did a U-turn to announce that all primary schools in London would not reopen for the start of term on Monday.

Moulsecoomb Primary School is one of many that says it will not reopen for term on Monday

Secondary schools will only be open for the children of key workers and for pupils facing examinations.

But all primary schools in the Rother and Hastings areas of East Sussex were also told to close, along with others in Kent and Essex as the government tries to cut Covid-19 cases.

Hospitals in the South East are facing increasing pressure on wards as the number of patients being admitted continues to rise.