Close schools in Tier 4 areas
The Parliament petitions site records 194,882 signatures for this petition, which closed on 21 June 2021. The Government responded on 21 January 2021. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 15 March 2021.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Close schools in Tier 4 areas
Schools can be a breeding ground for the spread of coronavirus. Children are mingling at schools and returning to families who are potentially vulnerable, keeping rates high.
It's only been since schools opened that infection rates have been high in Kent, and keeping them open may keep it high.
This Christmas I am apart from all of my family for the first time. My younger siblings have no idea why I won't be there, and it's heartbreaking. All I want to do is go home and see my family, and the sooner I can do that the better. Currently I see no way of this happening unless schools close for at least two weeks, but preferably more. Especially with this new strain of the virus, we need to be making the move to online schooling and actually keep people safe.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 21 January 2021; the petitions site lists the Department for Education as responsible. Its summary:
The Government has asked schools and Further Education colleges to restrict attendance from 5 January 2020 for most pupils and students. Early years settings will remain open to all.
The opening 378 words of the 637-word response:
Being at school or college is vital for children’s and young people’s education and for their wellbeing. However, in light of the rapid growth in rates across the country and intense pressure on the NHS, the Government has asked schools and Further Education (FE) colleges to restrict attendance from 5 January 2020 until at least February half term for most pupils and students. Early years settings will remain open to all.
On 7 January, the Department for Education (DfE) published updated guidance for schools:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications&utm_source=08720782-d5c2-423a-90bf-6450e8ad7640&utm_content=daily.
During this period of national lockdown, schools, alternative provision (AP), special schools, colleges and wraparound childcare and other out-of-school activities for children should allow only vulnerable children and young people and the children of critical workers to attend (recognising that the characteristics of the cohorts in special schools and alternative provision will mean these settings continue to offer face to face provision for all pupils, where appropriate). All other pupils and students should not attend and should receive remote education until February half term.
Early years provision should continue to remain open and should continue to allow all children to attend full time or their usual timetable hours. Only vulnerable children and children of critical workers should attend on-site reception classes. This is the default position for all areas irrespective of national lockdown restrictions.
Early years settings have been open to all children since 1 June 2020 and there is no evidence that the early years sector has contributed to a significant rise in virus cases within the community. Early modelling evidence from SAGE showed that early years provision had a smaller relative impact on transmission rate when modelled with both primary schools and secondary schools.
We have asked schools to limit attendance during the lockdown not because they are unsafe, but because the government is taking every possible measure to reduce overall social contacts, bring down cases in the community and protect the NHS.
We have resisted restrictions on attendance at schools since the first lockdown and keeping education open has been a national priority. In the face of the rapidly rising numbers of cases across the country and intense pressure on the NHS, we now need to use every lever at our disposal to reduce all our social contacts wherever possible.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 1,730, came from Sittingbourne and Sheppey.
194,677 of the signatures were from the UK and 205 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Sittingbourne and Sheppey | 1,730 |
| Gillingham and Rainham | 1,632 |
| Poplar and Limehouse | 1,600 |
| Rochester and Strood | 1,579 |
| Ilford South | 1,551 |
| North Thanet | 1,520 |
| Dover | 1,515 |
| Slough | 1,481 |
| Barking | 1,450 |
| Bethnal Green and Bow | 1,427 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| South East | 60,542 |
| London | 41,510 |
| East of England | 39,779 |
| West Midlands | 12,216 |
| North West | 9,341 |
| East Midlands | 9,121 |
| South West | 5,572 |
| North East | 4,774 |
| Wales | 2,167 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 2,105 |
| Scotland | 905 |
| Northern Ireland | 172 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 15 March 2021. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/564209.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
ffdbf994ea2b925b… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.