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Parents wary as UK children head back to school after six months at home

Some parents aren’t happy, fearing their children are being used as guinea pigs.

After almost six months of being housebound, all primary and secondary students in England are returning to school next week.

Rotorua-born mother of two Emma Rigby has lived in London since 2003; she says she's feeling extremely anxious about sending her two children back.

"I'm just concerned about the processes and everything they've got in place so if one child goes down at school with Covid at school, it sounds like the whole class will go into quarantine for two weeks," she told 1 NEWS from her home in Enfield, London.

"That's a concern, I might only have them back in school for two days."

The successful businesswoman is well known for her work in the Enfield community, but she admits she's struggled with work and home-schooling. 

After half a year of online learning, she's worried about the lack of education Jackson, 13, and Meghan, 10, have had, and renewed fears of a potential second outbreak.

"I just think if we go back into lockdown in the UK, I'm not going to handle another lockdown with two children so I'm applying for our New Zealand passports to head home," she says.

In March, UK Minister Boris Johnson ordered all schools to shut down to fight the pandemic. 

Some schools stayed opened to care for children of key workers and the vulnerable. 

A fortnight ago, pupils in Scotland returned, followed by Northern Ireland and Wales. 

Almost a quarter of a million of students in England are set to return next week, but many parents are concerned their children are being used as guinea pigs.

Ahead of the school term starting, Mr Johnson has reassured parents that schools are Covid-secure and the risk to children from coronavirus was very small.

That's despite the UK death toll surpassing 41,000 deaths.

"There's far more risk to the well-being of our children from not going to school than there is from the disease," Mr Johnson says.

School principals can follow up student absences and issue possible fines.

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