Rob England
BBC News

That's all from our live updates on the day England's primary schools started to reopen.

We'll be back tomorrow morning from 07:30 BST with more coronavirus news and updates from around the country.

Thanks for joining us, and have a good evening.

Rob England
BBC News

Darren Styne said he and his partner changed their minds and decided to not send their son back to school due to concerns about social distancing guidelines.

"Part of the problem, for me, was that he couldn't play with the other children, and would be expected to sit by himself, two metres apart from another child," Mr Styne, from Derbyshire, said.

"You can’t tell a kid not to go play with their friends."

Image source, Darren Styne

Mr Styne said he considered the school's advice to be "spot on", but a letter saying that children breaking social distancing measures repeatedly could be excluded made him "uncomfortable".

"We would feel better if we had inclusive groups of four or five kids that they could interact with. I feel like it will be [like that] after the summer holidays, so in September we will review sending him back to school."

• Primary schools back but mixed picture on turn-out

David Pittam
BBC News Online

Outside Chellaston Infant School earlier, Gurpreet Dhinsa told me he had no concerns about his children Jeevan, 6, and Nirvar, 5, returning.

"I wasn't at all worried about them going back," he said.

"No-one in the family is vulnerable.

"The kids were getting sick and tired of the same surroundings.

"The government has scientific backing for it, we need to start thinking about a route to some normality otherwise we'll be stuck in a rut for months or years."

Rob England
BBC News

Throughout the day we've been looking at the return of some primary school pupils to schools across England.

But what about the students who haven't really left school?

Key worker Sam, from Amesbury, Wiltshire, whose daughters are five and eight, says they have been going into school as normal since they closed to most.

He and his wife are both key workers - Sam is a plumbing and heating engineer, and his wife is a dispenser in a pharmacy.

Image source, Sam

"Key workers haven't had the choice about sending children to school as we've had to go to work," he said.

"Whilst non key worker parents have a choice, there will always be some who won't send them.

"But with that attitude they won't ever send them back as there are always dangers."

Sam continued: "Our school has been amazing and we've had no concerns around safety. The children play in their bubbles whilst maintaining social distancing.

"Our five-year-old has no problem with social distancing and finds it second nature just like the teachers now."

Rob England
BBC News

Elizabeth Kundu, who lives near Selby in North Yorkshire, says she won't be sending her daughter, who is in Year 1, back to school this week.

"I personally don’t think it’s safe," she said.

Image source, Elizabeth Kundu

Her main concern is the national infection rate, which she says is not low enough to make her feel comfortable with the move.

"Some people have to send their kids back to school and they are doing so with a lot of anxiety," Ms Kundu said.

"I am not going to send them back until I can see a testing and tracing system in place that is working.

"Once testing doesn’t take so long and we know a true regional picture, then I will be happy to send them back."

David Pittam
BBC News Online

After a long day of mixed emotions, Chellaston Junior School pupils left for the day.

Jude Smith, 42, mother of Frankie, in Year 6, and Tallulah, in Year 4, said: "I was in two minds about sending them back, I was worried about the social distancing.

"But the school has been brilliant, they've addressed all my concerns."

Frankie added: "It was really exciting going back. I was a bit nervous at first but happy now I'm here."

Image source, Joe Giddens

Head teachers are reporting "highly variable" levels of attendance, ranging from 40% to 70%, as primary schools in England bring back more pupils.

Children in Reception, Years 1 and 6 are the first groups able to return.

Geoff Barton, leader of the ASCL heads' union, says the return has been "very mixed" - with some schools not yet open and some children staying away.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said children needed to catch up with missed lessons and at school they "will be with their teachers and friends again".

Rob England
BBC News

Lynn Sanders, a retired teacher from Guildford who now works as a supply teacher, says she has declined returning to work for health reasons.

"The reality of the job is that it is a very difficult thing to social distance for small children," she said.

"I have a partner who is diabetic and coming up for 70, so he is high risk. I had to make the decision whether I was available for work, and I have had to say no for health reasons."

Image source, Lynne Sanders

Ms Sanders added she thought "very few schools" would want supply teachers at this time, with limited pupil numbers and teachers unlikely to be needing cover to go on courses.

"People who depend on supply teaching for an income will fall through the cracks," she said.

At St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School in West London, head teacher Helen Frostick has spent the last few weeks redesigning classrooms, reconfiguring timetables and totally rethinking school policy on everything from PE to uniform.

For staff and students, it's the first time many of them have seen each other since March.

• Read more about the school's first day back here

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

England's Children's Commissioner has urged the government to support a "summer programme" to help older pupils catch up on missed lessons.

"We've been talking about young children going back to school today but of course most children, especially older children, will have to wait an awful lot longer - up to six months," Anne Longfield told the BBC's World at One.

She added any programme would need to take place "in school buildings" but could potentially be run by staff such as social workers, instead of just teachers.

Children in Reception, Years 1 and 6 have been the first groups able to return to schools across England from today.

Primary schools will face challenges in accommodating more pupils as they reopen, a trade union boss has said.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said the early signs were that the picture on the wider opening of primary schools across England was "very mixed".

He added that the expected level of pupil attendance at primary schools was "highly variable", with head teachers reporting that the attendance ranges between 40% and 70% of the eligible pupils.

Image source, Getty Images

Children in Reception, Years 1 and 6 are able to return, with many having been out of school for 10 weeks.

Mr Barton said: "School leaders are also reporting that they are seeing an increase in the number of key worker children who are attending across all year groups.

"Schools have remained open to vulnerable and key worker children throughout the lockdown period, and as the lockdown eases, it is likely this will lead to greater demand for places."

He added: "This will be extremely challenging for primary schools to accommodate, particularly small primary schools, in addition to bringing in the eligible year groups."

David Pittam
BBC News Online

The 108 Year 6 pupils who returned to Chellaston Junior School today were taught across 14 classrooms.

This class had 10 pupils and two unused desks - 21 members of the year group did not return today.

Reopening schools have been advised to reduce class sizes to 15 pupils or fewer, with children kept 2m (6ft 6in) apart wherever possible.

Staggered break times, increased hand washing and less sharing of equipment have also been recommended.

Daniel Wainwright
BBC England Data Unit

There are more than 680,000 families across England where all the children in the household are in one or more of the year groups eligible to return to school from today.

According to the Office for National Statistics, external, these families include more than one million working adults.

Families have been trying to balance homeschooling and work commitments since schools closed to most pupils on 20 March.

However, some parents may still choose to keep their children at home.

A survey of 1,200 school leaders by the National Foundation for Educational Research suggests as many as 46% of parents may not be willing to send their children back to class.

Rob England
BBC News

Danielle Nott, from Tyne and Wear, said she's decided to keep her son at home because it would be "unfair" on her daughter, who cannot go back because of capacity issues.

Ms Nott's son is in nursery and her daughter is in Year 1.

"There is no sound play, carpet time or book corner for him even if he did go," she said. "I would have to drag my daughter to school to drop him off and then take her home."

Image source, Getty Images

"She is really upset; I am really struggling to get her to do her school work," Ms Nott added.

She said her children's school were bringing students back "in order of age" with the youngest returning first.

"All the younger ones are just playing; at least if my daughter went back, she would be learning," she said.

"There is still a lot of learning that we can’t do at home."

A cabinet minister has insisted the lockdown is being eased in a "very cautious" way as thousands of children in England began returning to school despite concerns from public health officials, unions and parents.

Image source, PA Media

Business Secretary Alok Sharma said he understands parents' concerns over sending their children back to class.

Mr Sharma told the BBC: "This is not a dash. These are very cautious steps that we are taking. They are phased."

He said that he "completely" understood that "every parent wants to keep their child safe", but insisted the government had taken steps to ensure schools are safe to return to as classes re-opened to children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 in England.

Pupils at St John's Primary in Penistone, Sheffield, say they are pleased to be back at school after coronavirus lockdown restrictions were eased.

St John's pupil Reuben Dachtler, 11, said he was "excited" to get back to school after 10 weeks away, while Lucy Raynor, 11, said she had missed her lessons and her teachers:

Primary pupils are back in some schools across England following the lockdown, but there's a mixed picture in how they're reopening, with schools in some areas staying shut.

Schools have remained open throughout the coronavirus restrictions for the children of key workers and vulnerable children - but from today many more pupils are able to return.

The National Association of Headteachers has tweeted that there needs to be greater "local flexibility" in schools reopening, but added that it will advise the government that it is unwise and impractical to admit pupils in greater numbers, if current lockdown measures continue.

David Pittam
BBC News Online

Teaching assistant at Chellaston Junior School who said they did not feel comfortable returning to a face-to-face role with pupils are doing support work in corridors and empty classrooms.

Head teacher Alex Smythe said the idea all children could be back in school by the end of the term was "crazy".

"We don't have the capacity, in terms of space or teachers," he said.

Rob England
BBC News

Dee Aldrich, from Harlow in Essex, says her twin girls have had "an amazing time" at their Reception class today.

She said out of the twins' 15 classmates, only three others returned.

Ms Aldrich said: "The way the staff are structuring returning to school has been great. They’ve sent video plans of what is going to be happening."

Image source, Dee Aldrich

Teachers have also been socially distancing the children, and were told to use separate equipment to complete activities.

Ms Aldrich said: "When they go in, they have designated toys and playdough with their names on it – they have to take their own water in.

"The kids have been really good at social distancing, they’ve actually done it.

"They’ve washed their hands continually, they have one desk each...at the moment it’s working.

"The key worker children have been kept separately - but they have been allowed to wave at their friends through the window.”

• Read more on primary schools reopening across England

Kirstie Brewer
BBC News

Marsha's WhatsApp group went pinging into overdrive as soon as it was announced that primary schools and nurseries would reopen for some children.

There was outrage, relief, excitement, anxiety. Everyone seemed to have an opinion.

Image source, Getty Images

Marsha wrote that she'd be happy to send her son back to school. Then immediately another mum shared a news item about a teacher who'd tested positive for coronavirus.

"This is why I will be keeping Rosie safe at home with me - I'm not putting her life at risk," she wrote.

A few other parents then sent thumbs-up and shocked-face emojis to show their approval of Rosie's mum's message.

"It felt very passive-aggressive," says Marsha, who said she didn't want her real name to be published because she couldn't face "more drama".

I spoke to mothers feeling judged or shamed for their decision to send children back to school - or to keep them at home.