Good Morning Britain’s Susanna Reid slams ‘national scandal’ of school closures and fears ‘lost generation’ of education

SUSANNA Reid has today slammed the “national scandal” of school closures amid fears there could be a “lost generation” of kids’ education. The Good Morning Britain host, who is a mum of three, fears not enough is being done to get kids back to school as the country recovers from the coronavirus lockdown. The government […]

SUSANNA Reid has today slammed the “national scandal” of school closures amid fears there could be a “lost generation” of kids’ education.

The Good Morning Britain host, who is a mum of three, fears not enough is being done to get kids back to school as the country recovers from the coronavirus lockdown.

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The government yesterday abandoned plans to fully reopen primary schools before the summer holidays.

Plans to get kids back into classrooms in September were also thrown into further doubt after Downing Street said secondary schools were expected to open to “more pupils”, rather than all pupils, in the autumn.

And the GMB host called on more communication for parents with concerns that kids could miss out on a formal education for six months.

Speaking this morning, the 49-year-old said: “Where has the Education Secretary been, for all the parents who are concerned about whether their children are going to get an education for six months?”

She added: “Education experts are saying there is going to be a lost generation.

“You have an issue of children at risk who are not going into schools where teachers would be able to keep an eye on them, children who are not able to do home schooling, there’s a problem parents who are not able to enforce the discipline.”

And Susanna, who is a parent to Finn, Sam and Jack with her ex-husband Dominic Cotton, said she was worried about the chasm between privately and publically educated kids.

She blasted: “It’s a national scandal.

“Where is the Education Secretary, and when is he going to get schools up and running again?”

Education Secretary Gavin ­Williamson yesterday told MPs he hopes all kids will return to class in September, but fell short of promising to.

DELAYED CLASSES

Figures have showed that 52 per cent of primary schools followed orders to reopen by last Thursday, with around a quarter of eligible kids going in.

It was this week revealed ambitious plans to help children catch up after the schools shutdown are being worked up.

GCSES, A-levels and other exams will go ahead next year, it was confirmed.

It comes as a study revealed school children under the age of 15 were more likely to be hit by lightning than to die of the deadly bug.

Just two children aged five to 14 have died from Covid-19 in England and Wales, which is equivalent to one in every 3.58million in that age group.

But this jumps to one in 3,478 for adults aged 45 to 64 and one in 55 for those 90-plus.

Children have more chance of being hit by lightning than dying of Covid-19.

According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, between 30 and 60 people are struck by lightning each year in Britain, a population risk of between one in 2.21 million and one in 1.1 million annually.

And the Children’s Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, said it was “ridiculous” schools were opening after other parts of the economy, such as theme parks from July 4.

She warned: “Children are in danger of being forgotten in the lifting of lockdown.”

So far in the UK, 40,883 have died from coronavirus after 286 further deaths were recorded yesterday.