Britain faces an ‘enormous battle’ to keep secondary schools open in January amid the rapid spread of a new Covid variant, Gavin Williamson has reportedly warned colleagues.
The Education Secretary is facing mounting pressure from experts to reconsider school closures in January, amid concern that the new strain is more easily spread among children.
The Government currently plans to stagger the return of school children in January.
It is planned for GCSE and A-Level students in England to return as normal in January, with other year groups taking online lessons for a week before returning to the classroom.
But the plans could now change, with Mr Williamson set to hold a crunch meeting with education chiefs on Monday, according to the Telegraph.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has previously refused to rule out school closures in January, insisting ‘everything is under review’ when asked about changes to the plans.

The Education Secretary is facing mounting pressure from experts to reconsider school closures (pictured: School children wear face masks, library image) in January, amid concern that the new strain is more easily spread among children

Mr Williamson is set to hold a crunch meeting with education chiefs on Monday, according to the Telegraph
It comes after scientist warned that the highly infectious mutant strain of coronavirus found in Kent and sweeping its way across the country could be more likely to affect children.
Modellers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found the new virus strain is 56 per cent per cent more infectious – though not considered to be any more deadly.
Researchers said there is ‘some evidence that the increase may be particularly marked in children’.
The study found that even if another national lockdown was implemented, it would be ‘unlikely’ to reduce the county’s R rate to below one unless schools and universities were also closed.
Meanwhile, one in 85 Covid cases in England is currently thought to be the new strain, with two-thirds of cases in the south-east likely to be the new variant, according to the Office of National Statistics.
Separate ONS figures meanwhile show coronavirus is most rampant among secondary schoolchildren.
Those in Year 7 to Year 11 are seeing the highest rates of infection among the entire population.
Scientists hope to learn much more over the next two weeks about how quickly the variant spreads among children, Professor Neil Ferguson, an epidemiologist of Imperial College London and member of No10’s advisory group NERVTAG, said.
Schools had been due for to return on January 4, but Education Secretary Gavin Williamson later introduced plans for a staggered return.
Under current plans, GCSE and A-Level students, as well as vocational pupils and all primary schools, will return as normal, while a week of testing takes place.
Other year groups will take online lessons, before returning to the classroom on January 11.
Schools in Scotland and Wales will also have a staggered return, while schools in Northern Ireland will return as usual in January.

Modellers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found the new virus strain is 56 per cent per cent more infectious – though not considered to be any more deadly
Meanwhile, up to 11million lateral flow tests will be available to schools and colleges from January 4, providing capacity for up to 5.5million children and young people to be tested in the new year, it was revealed last week.
The Armed Forces will be drafted into help the mass-testing effort.
But both Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock have suggested plans could change depending on the situation in January.
Meanwhile, Britain’s largest teaching union last week demanded classes be moved online for two weeks after Christmas to give school staff the chance to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
The National Education Union (NEU)called on the Government to cancel face-to-face lessons for a fortnight at the beginning of the new term – with online learning to continue until January 18.
Union chiefs say the switch to online lessons, for all but vulnerable children and those of key workers, will help reduce cases amongst students.
They have also demanded that a mass-testing programme, which has already been promised by ministers, be fully functional before students return to school.