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Monday morning news briefing: Summer school looms

Danny Boyle
Updated ·6-min read
Summer school
Summer school

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Summer school for the most vulnerable children

The long summer holiday might be off the cards for some children. As parents today begin to send pupils back to school, the Children's Commissioner has said that youngsters will need to attend classes over the summer to stop them falling behind. Anne Longfield urged ministers to set up summer camps for the most vulnerable students during July and August to help them catch up on the work they missed during lockdown. As Education Editor Camilla Turner reports, it sets up another row between the unions and the Government. Also writing for us, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson warned that the public must face up to the "uncomfortable truth" that the poorest children suffer most from being out of school. These are the preparations primary schools in England have taken before reopening to some children. And, amid warnings that children may suffer pandemic-induced anxiety as they return to school, this is how to address mental health struggles.

It is part of a wider easing of lockdown in England, which will see people permitted to meet in groups of up to six outside - as long as they observe social distancing. Outdoor retailers such as markets and car showrooms also reopen today. Familiarise yourself with how lockdown rules have changed- and what you can and cannot do. At the weekend, pleas to stay away were ignored at beauty spots across the country. Some tourist sites were so packed that social distancing measures were often impossible to follow. It came as policing leaders warned that lockdown rules were now "unenforceable" and the public will "do what they want to do".

Ministers face revolt over quarantine plans

Quarantine plans face a Tory revolt when they reach the Commons this week. Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, will tomorrow lay the regulations in Parliament enacting the quarantine under which all international arrivals - including returning Britons - will be required to self-isolate for 14 days. However, more than 20 Tory MPs (including at least seven former ministers) are demanding a rethink of the plans scheduled to come into force on June 8 and the introduction of "air bridges". Read how they could be introduced between Britain and low-risk countries. Meanwhile, holiday companies have been offering incentives for people to book breaks from as early as today in an apparent breach of rules.

Turf's up as (masked) jockeys return to work

Horse racing returns today, but grandstands will remain empty for now. Jockeys will ride in face masks as the industry resumes behind closed doors, hours after the easing of sports lockdown rules. As the most high-profile sport to return so far, the British Horseracing Authority promises a zero tolerance approach to health checks at Newcastle this afternoon. Read Racing Correspondent Marcus Armytage's special report on how racing got back on track and columnist Charlie Brooks argues it will not be the same without the characters we love - and loathe. PS: For unlimited access to our unrivalled, award-winning sports journalism, I can recommend trying our subscription offer. Take a free one-month trial - then save 50pc on your first three months.

At a glance: More coronavirus headlines

Also in the news today

US protests | Anti-racism protesters again took to the streets in cities across the United States for the sixth night to voice their fury at police brutality. Demonstrators and police were involved in stand-offs in several cities, while there were also fresh reports of looting, following the death of George Floyd in police custody. It came as Donald Trump vowed to designate the Left-wing group Antifa a domestic terrorist organisation. And it has emerged that the US President was rushed to a White House bunker as hundreds of protesters gathered outside.

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  3. Working out at home | Why you could be doing your online training session wrong

Comment and analysis

Life after lockdown: Japan finds its voice again

As sacred as the pub is to Britons, Japan's karaoke boxes are once again throwing open their doors to anyone with the urge to sing. While the government recommends karaoke boxes remain closed, the majority of cities across the country have given operators the green light for the crooning to resume. Read this dispatch from Julian Ryall in Yokohama and view a gallery of how lockdowns are being lifted around the world.

Singers join the crooning at a karaoke box in Yokohama - ROB GILHOOLY
Singers join the crooning at a karaoke box in Yokohama - ROB GILHOOLY

In case you missed it: Best from the weekend

Business and money briefing

Gold mining | Petropavlovsk, London's best performing listed gold miner last year, is studying a potential merger with UGC in a deal that would catapult the pair into the upper echelons of the gold mining industry. Discussions between the two mining giants are ongoing.

And finally... for this morning's downtime

Inside Clubhouse | The hottest new social media app of 2020 is not based on a technological breakthrough or new device. And yet Clubhouse's star-studded user base mirrors how Twitter operated in their early days - as a direct connection to high-profile figures. James Titcomb explains from San Francisco what you need to know about the elite audio social network for A-listers and investors.