tonight at six, a major report into race relations in the uk is dismissed as divisive and a whitewash. commissioned by the government in the wake of the black lives matter protests, the report found no evidence of institutional racism and said social class and family structure had a bigger impact than race. we don't deny the existence of racism and the reality that it exists and it's there. but we want to, really, in the report come down to the fact that, particularly in education, and employment, and funnily enough in health, we've actually improved. because people from ethnic minority seems to be doing better than their white counterparts, that doesn't mean the system's perfect, it means they've learned to thrive within an imperfect system.

we'll be examining the report's findings. also tonight... soaring coronavirus cases in france. the french president will address the nation tonight. he's expected to announce even more restrictions. vaccinating children — the first trials of the pfizer jab on under 165 show it's safe and effective. piles of litter in parks as people make the most of warm weather and new—found freedoms in england. and just weeks after they returned to the classroom, the end of term is here. what's it been like back at school? we had testing in school and i sneezed inside the hall and people are thinking, "right," people are taking two steps back, "maybe he has it." and coming up on bbc news, there never seems to be long between their meetings — england take on poland in a world cup qualifier that stirs memories for more than just one generation of fans.

good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. a major study of race relations in the uk commissioned by the government that concludes that the system is "no longer" rigged against people from ethnic minorities has been called divisive and insulting. the review, led by the black educationalist dr tony sewell, acknowledged the existence of overt racism, particularly online. but it said that family structure and social class has a bigger impact on how people's lives turn out than race. but critics say the report does not reflect the reality of life in britain. the report says in education children from ethnic communities do as well or better than white pupils, with black carribean pupils the only group to perform less well. in the workplace, it says the pay gap between ethnic minorities

and the white population has shrunk to 2.3% overall. but the report spoke of a "deep mistrust" in some communities and said that historic experience of racism still haunts the present here's our community affairs correspondent adina campbell. they were the protests which reignited the debate about racism and racial inequality around the world. and in response to the black lives matter campaign last summer, the government commissioned an independent review looking into the impact race has on people's lives in the uk. the chairman of the report has defended its findings. the . rou -s has defended its findings. the grouns that — has defended its findings. tue: groups that are has defended its findings. tte: groups that are doing best in this country at the moment are ethnic minorities. how on earth do you think you can get up in the morning and feel good about yourself when the press, the lobby groups, continue to tell you you are just actually under a rigged system that

will trap you and go nowhere and you can't go nowhere as well. tt will trap you and go nowhere and you can't go nowhere as well.— can't go nowhere as well. if you go into a boardroom _ can't go nowhere as well. if you go into a boardroom today _ can't go nowhere as well. if you go into a boardroom today in - can't go nowhere as well. if you go into a boardroom today in the - can't go nowhere as well. if you go into a boardroom today in the uk, | into a boardroom today in the uk, how many people of colour will be sitting in their senior positions? very few. you are right and we point out there are real issues to do with diversity in the workplace. we have charged the equalities commission to look into this. this charged the equalities commission to look into this.— look into this. this group who live, work and study _ look into this. this group who live, work and study in _ look into this. this group who live, work and study in london - look into this. this group who live, work and study in london are - look into this. this group who live, i work and study in london are deeply disappointed with today's findings. it feels like this is glass, it feels like britain wants to tap itself up and say look how good we are. it will not work, we need more than this. ~ . . ., ., . than this. according to the evidence in the report — than this. according to the evidence in the report it _ than this. according to the evidence in the report it says _ than this. according to the evidence in the report it says the _ than this. according to the evidence in the report it says the uk - than this. according to the evidence in the report it says the uk is - than this. according to the evidence in the report it says the uk is more| in the report it says the uk is more open, it is fairer and if you work hard, you will be rewarded with success. t hard, you will be rewarded with success. ~' , hard, you will be rewarded with success. ~ , ., , success. i feel like they are 'ust focusin: success. i feel like they are 'ust focusing on fl success. i feel like they are 'ust focusing on the i success. i feel like they are 'ust focusing on the education h success. i feel like they are just focusing on the education side i success. i feel like they are just i focusing on the education side and how well_ focusing on the education side and how well we are doing, but at the same _ how well we are doing, but at the same time — how well we are doing, but at the same time they are dismissing

racism — same time they are dismissing racism. ~ ., ,., same time they are dismissing racism. ~ ., , ., same time they are dismissing racism. ., , ., ., racism. what the report seeks to do is aaasliht racism. what the report seeks to do is gaslight black _ racism. what the report seeks to do is gaslight black and _ racism. what the report seeks to do is gaslight black and other- racism. what the report seeks to do is gaslight black and other minority | is gaslight black and other minority ethnic_ is gaslight black and other minority ethnic people — is gaslight black and other minority ethnic peorrte in— is gaslight black and other minority ethnic people in the _ is gaslight black and other minority ethnic people in the uk— is gaslight black and other minority ethnic people in the uk by- is gaslight black and other minority ethnic people in the uk by telling l ethnic people in the uk by telling us that— ethnic people in the uk by telling us that institutional— ethnic people in the uk by telling us that institutional racism - ethnic people in the uk by telling us that institutional racism is - ethnic people in the uk by telling us that institutional racism is a l us that institutional racism is a myth — us that institutional racism is a m h. ~ us that institutional racism is a m h. . ., myth. with so much of the report focusin: myth. with so much of the report focusing on _ myth. with so much of the report focusing on the _ myth. with so much of the report focusing on the advantages - myth. with so much of the report focusing on the advantages of. myth. with so much of the report i focusing on the advantages of doing well at school, academics say the road to success is notjust rooted in education. in road to success is not 'ust rooted in «warrant road to success is not 'ust rooted in education. �* .. , in education. in america proceed the idea is ou in education. in america proceed the idea is you get _ in education. in america proceed the idea is you get at _ in education. in america proceed the idea is you get at what _ in education. in america proceed the idea is you get at what you _ in education. in america proceed the idea is you get at what you put - in education. in america proceed the idea is you get at what you put in, i idea is you get at what you put in, so if you do well at school, if you work hard, you will be rewarded in the world of work. we know that is not so for ethnic minorities, for women, for disadvantaged groups. that is why they are disadvantaged, because there are so many barriers. the report concludes the uk is a model for other white majority countries, but for this group they believe there is still so much more work to do. believe there is still so much more work to do— work to do. the uk has done a lot for racial injustice, _ work to do. the uk has done a lot for racial injustice, but _ work to do. the uk has done a lot for racial injustice, but to - work to do. the uk has done a lot for racial injustice, but to call- work to do. the uk has done a lot for racial injustice, but to call it i for racial injustice, but to call it a model is going too far. t for racial injustice, but to call it a model is going too far.- for racial injustice, but to call it a model is going too far. i look at ositions a model is going too far. i look at positions that _ a model is going too far. i look at positions that people _ a model is going too far. i look at positions that people hold, i i a model is going too far. i look at| positions that people hold, i don't see anyone that looks like me in

those _ see anyone that looks like me in those positions. so how can i be optimistic— those positions. so how can i be optimistic when i have not seen anything — optimistic when i have not seen anything really change in that respect? the report made a total of 2a recommendations. here are some of them. on criminaljustice, it called for better training for police, more community recruitment and more accountability when officers use stop—and—search powers. it called for a new office to tackle health disparities in the uk, something further exposed by the coronavirus pandemic. on schools, it recommended a more inclusive curriculum and better intervention for disadvantaged pupils. and it said the acronym bame, black and minority ethnic, was an unhelpful term that should no longer be used. our home editor mark easton examines the possible impact of today's report. injune in june last year, injune last year, the black lives matter protest reached the gates of

downing street. borisjohnson knew he had to respond to the clamour industries and announced an enquiry into racism in britain, but with the aim of calming anxieties and concerns. aim of calming anxieties and concerns-— aim of calming anxieties and concerns. ~ ., ., , ., ., ., concerns. what i really want to do as prime minister— concerns. what i really want to do as prime minister is _ concerns. what i really want to do as prime minister is change i concerns. what i really want to do as prime minister is change the i as prime minister is change the narrative so we stop the sense of victimisation and discrimination. his tone could hardly have been more different to his predecessor in number ten, theresa may, who had spoken of the burning injustice of racial disparities. tt spoken of the burning in'ustice of racial disparities.i racial disparities. if you are black, racial disparities. if you are black. you _ racial disparities. if you are black, you are _ racial disparities. if you are black, you are treated i racial disparities. if you are | black, you are treated more racial disparities. if you are - black, you are treated more harshly try black, you are treated more harshly by the _ black, you are treated more harshly by the criminaljustice system that if you _ by the criminaljustice system that if you are — by the criminaljustice system that if you are white.— by the criminaljustice system that if you are white. theresa may went to work immediately. _ if you are white. theresa may went to work immediately. this - if you are white. theresa may went to work immediately. this is i if you are white. theresa may went to work immediately. this is a i to work immediately. this is a roblem to work immediately. this is a problem we — to work immediately. this is a problem we have _ to work immediately. this is a problem we have to _ to work immediately. this is a problem we have to confront. | to work immediately. this is a i problem we have to confront. she to work immediately. this is a - problem we have to confront. she set u . problem we have to confront. she set u- the problem we have to confront. she set up the government's _ problem we have to confront. she set up the government's race _ problem we have to confront. she set up the government's race disparitiesl up the government's race disparities audit to shine a light on institutional racism, but a close ally of borisjohnson was unimpressed. she became mrjohnson's top policy adviser and had written how institutional racism was a perception more than a reality in an

article in the spectator magazine. she said anti racism is becoming weaponised across the political spectrum. the appointment of tony sule as the commission chair led antiracism activist to try and have him removed because of what they regarded as his previous rejection of institutional racism. the conclusions of today's report came as no surprise to them. it conclusions of today's report came as no surprise to them.— as no surprise to them. it will anuer as no surprise to them. it will anger people _ as no surprise to them. it will anger people and _ as no surprise to them. it will anger people and people i as no surprise to them. it will anger people and people will| as no surprise to them. it will. anger people and people will go as no surprise to them. it ii. anger people and people will go back to the streets, back to their communities to start reorganising. yes, i believe it is a stitch up. the problem for the commission, based at the cabinet office, is one of credibility. the prime minister spoke of the report's positive agenda, but there are many who would argue a better starting point would be an understanding of the negative impacts of race and racism, the lived experience of black and minority ethnic communities. of course we all acknowledge the steps and the progress that has been made and the progress that has been made and that is a good thing, but there is a long way to go yet and i don't

think this is the time to sit back and sayjob done. and say job done. there and sayjob done. there have been questions about the release of the commission's findings with selected lines handed to the press 18 hours before the full report was released. journalists and academics were unable to check the workings and the assumptions of the commission before the headlines hit the front pages. the commission before the headlines hit the front pages-— the front pages. the purpose of the re ort was the front pages. the purpose of the report was to _ the front pages. the purpose of the report was to look _ the front pages. the purpose of the report was to look at _ the front pages. the purpose of the report was to look at what - the front pages. the purpose of the report was to look at what was i report was to look at what was causing disparities so we can find policy options to tackle it. the commission was independent, there were ten commissioners who came from a broad range of professions and practitioners. a broad range of professions and practitioners-— practitioners. there are poor's findin . s practitioners. there are poor's findings offer _ practitioners. there are poor's findings offer an _ practitioners. there are poor's findings offer an important i findings offer an important perspective and thinking on the complexities of race and social mobility, but with buy in from black and minority ethnic communities it risks deepening divides rather than building a new consensus. risks deepening divides rather than building a new consensus. french president emmanuel macron will address the nation in the next hour as he faces facing growing pressure over the soaring number of coronavirus cases.

daily infection numbers have doubled to around 40,000, overrunning hospitals in some areas. there are more people in intensive care than at the peak of the second wave. our paris correspondent lucy williamson has this report. paris today is a tale of two cities. a sense of freedom in the streets, in hospitals a sense of deja vu. with more than 5000 patients in intensive care, france is already above normal saturation level. in this small paris unit today, all nine life—support beds were full. translation: the things that worries i us a lot is that protective measures i are not being respected. when the weather's good, we see people walking by the seine, all crammed together, or shopping in the market without any protection, and we know that in these kinds of situations, the government has trouble enforcing the restrictions. 79—year—old madeline arrived here after refusing astrazeneca jab.

she didn't trust it with all her underlying conditions, she told me. but while waiting for the pfizer one, she caught covid. has it changed her mind about the astrazeneca vaccine? non, non. no, she said. it's here in the capital's life—support units that pressure on president macron has been sharpest. some doctors have warned of an impending health disaster, saying they could soon be forced to choose which patients live and which die. transfers from the worst—hit areas have already begun, but doctors say fewer patients are fit to travel this time round, and senior medical figures have called for a third national lockdown. the new light restrictions introduced in areas like paris, they say, haven't got the message through. we don't understand them any more, we're like, are we quarantined or not? we don't really understand, so we're going without really knowing. but yeah, what i think

is just like maybe it would be better to go home, but on the other side i want to be out. after weeks of criticism, president macron is due to address the nation tonight — his audience divided between those who say they can't face another lockdown and those who can't face another wave. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. let's take a look at the latest government figures. there were 4,052 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. on average 4,844 new cases were reported per day in the last week. there are 4,176 patients in hospital with covid 19, the lowest it's been since beginning of october. 43 deaths were reported in the latest 24—hour period, that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. on average in the past week 47 deaths were announced every day, again back to levels at the start of october.

the total number is now 126,713. as for vaccinations, more than 224,000 people have had their firstjab in the latest 24—hour period, bringing the total to nearly 31 million. and over 4.1m people, have now had both doses. pfizer says trials of its covid vaccine for children suggest it is safe and 100% effective. the trials were carried out in the us in children aged between 12 and 15. our medical editor fergus walsh is here. what implications does that have for secondary school pupils here? trio secondary school pupils here? no firm secondary school pupils here? tir: firm decisions have been made here yet as to whether the jab will be offered to secondary school children, but this makes it more likely. in the us health officials have said publicly they are hoping to offer the jab to high school students within months. there were over 2000 children on the trial and

all 18 cases of covid were among volunteers who received damage apps. the vaccine produced a very strong antibody response and there were no unusual side effects. children are at very low risk from covid, only a tiny minority have got seriously ill, but immunising them would protect the minority who are vulnerable, it would prevent outbreaks in schools, and it would suppress transmission of the virus, so younger children would protect older adults. so younger children would protect olderadults. but so younger children would protect older adults. but i think the uk authorities will want to wait for the results of an oxford astrazeneca trial in children before making any firm plans. trial in children before making any firm lans. , ., ~ trial in children before making any firm lans. , ., ,, i. nottingham has closed its main public parks tonight after large crowds descended over the past few days. councils across england have been urging people who've been making the most of the good weather and new—found freedoms to take their litter home after vast amounts were left strewn across parks. up to six people or two households of any size are now allowed to meet outdoors.

but some have ignored the rules. sarah campbell reports. not the morning after a festival but a park in sheffield — the result of a warm evening combined with the relaxation of lockdown rules. those who partied last night quite happy to leave others to clear up, to the consternation of a global social media audience, according to the editor of the local paper who posted this footage. we've had responses from all over the world — pictures of parks in amsterdam where there's been the same issue. it doesn't look as bad as it does in sheffield, but it's clearly an international problem at the moment, because there's nowhere else for people to go. around the country, it appears people have been enjoying the opportunity to meet up in a way they haven't been able to for many months. and with the pubs shut, parks have become the go—to place to socialise, eat and drink — the difference being there's no staff on hand to clear away the empties. as well as the mess, there's concern that social distancing has also been discarded.

fearing a repeat of these scenes in nottingham last night, the council has closed its public parks and has asked people not to forget that the pandemic is far from over. please stop. covid is not something to be messed about with, to be trifled with. this is a dangerous disease that has caused people to die in our city. we are not yet in a situation where all of our restrictions have been rolled back, just a gradual easing of those restrictions. please don't abuse that. here in slough, as elsewhere, the council litter teams have been busy. but although there has been some anti—social behaviour, the man in charge of park development told me that lockdown has been overwhelmingly positive for the future of green spaces. the benefits definitely outweigh the negatives, with people reconnecting with their open spaces. with apartments and flats being built and people not having their own garden space, and seeing them out and enjoying our open spaces, as a parks professional,

has been the joy for me. next to the welsh parliament building in cardiff this morning, a clear message to the authorities that until alternative venues are open again for business, refuse collectors may be busy. sarah campbell, bbc news, slough. the government is launching a review into sexual abuse in schools after thosuands of pupils past and present have come forward with claims about the abuse they've suffered. a dedicated helpline is also being set up to support potential victims of sexual harassment and abuse. our education correspondent danjohnson is at the department for education for us. was as a result of a flood of stories on a website set up by a former pupil. stories on a website set up by a former pupil-— stories on a website set up by a former--uil. ~ , , , ., former pupil. absolutely, yes, and that is why — former pupil. absolutely, yes, and that is why there _ former pupil. absolutely, yes, and that is why there will _ former pupil. absolutely, yes, and that is why there will now - former pupil. absolutely, yes, and that is why there will now be i former pupil. absolutely, yes, and that is why there will now be a i that is why there will now be a review of safeguarding measures that every school in england, state and private, to check children are safe

and recommend improvements, because it is clear that lots of young women have suffered and have not felt able to report harassment, abuse and assaults at the hands of mainly their male classmates. there will be a dedicated helpline set up so that it was victims can report what they have endured and get support, and i will be a lot of listening to do, because there are more than 11,000 accounts on that website from girls as young as nine. but there is a sense that there are deeper issues to address around a toxic culture in some places in the negative attitudes of some young men around sex and their relationships with young women. so this could go much more broadly thanjust young women. so this could go much more broadly than just schools and have to be addressed much more widely. it is now part of the national conversation that we are having about the way some men have treated women and why girls, the youngest, most vulnerable were not even safe at school., dan, thank you. our top story this evening:

a major report into race relations in the uk is dismissed as divisive and a whitewash. it found no evidence of institutional racism in britain. and of institutional racism in britain. it is what you cani is and it is what you cannot say that is the problem, this is an idyllic spring evening, but figures out today show that raw sewage is being discharged into our waterways hundreds of thousands of times a year. coming up on sportsday on the bbc news channel, chelsea reach the women's champions league semifinals with a comprehensive win over wolfsburg. the wsl leaders complete a 5—1 aggregate victory and will play either bayern munich or rosengard in the last four. the uk's new trading relationship with the european union might only be a few months old, but some businesses, particularly those that export to the eu, are struggling to adjust to the new commercial landscape, outside the customs union and single market. our business editor, simonjack, has been investigating the impact of brexit three months on.

it's three months since the uk and eu went their separate ways. exports immediately plunged 40% in january as covid compounded difficulties with the new trade rules. three months on, were these just teething problems or something more permanent? meet exporters to the eu sarah and scott. over half of scott's sales of specialist gifts are to eu customers. complications with people, customs and logistics saw multiple shipments turned back in a chaoticjanuary. although things have stabilised, he's still facing extra costs and delays. there were teething issues, certainly. but they were just part of the underlying problems which still haven't gone away. the solution — he's opening a site in belgium. splitting off part of our business, sending it to belgium, probably means that further growth is going to be happening there, instead of taking on new staff here, we're taking on new staff there. instead of making more profit and paying more tax here,

we'll do it out there. so, basically, everyone is losing out here. scott is not alone — countries across the eu are reporting increased investment from uk firms, with the netherlands emerging as a favourite destination. injanuary, 40 companies showed interest in the netherlands because of brexit. in february, it doubled to 80 companies. talking about administrative hurdles, supply chain related problems, licensing issues. so, yeah, those problems are real, and that's why companies are showing interest in the netherlands as well as in other countries. the massive challenges of january were arguably felt as much here, at warehouse level, as they were at the ports. now, some of these issues have been resolved, but the additional cost and complexity of dealing with our biggest trading partner is permanent. this country's plan to open premises in the eu was once considered a worst case scenario contingency — they're going ahead. but that's not an option for many other firms. sarah sells nutritional products for horses.

her eu business has collapsed from 180 orders a month to three. an order shipped to sweden in january still hasn't arrived after multiple requests for more paperwork. as of today, if a customer actually orders from europe, we can't actually get it to them, and in some instances we can't get it to them at all, and in other instances they get charged such a large amount of import duty that they're just not going to do that, we're going to lose that custom. sarah considered an eu base but said it was too expensive. it's unrealistic to, say, set up some kind of warehousing when you haven't got the finances or the manpower. we would have to employ new people — how are we going to employ new people when we've just lost £300,000 worth business? remember, nearly half of all uk exports go to the eu. the government's promised new trade deals around the world. meanwhile, it's set up a £20 million brexit support fund and a network of 300 trade experts to help —

acknowledgement perhaps that what was once easy and cheap now isn't. simon jack, bbc news. raw sewage was poured into rivers in england and wales by water companies more than 400,000 times last year according to the environment agency. storm overflow pipes are supposed to be used only in extreme weather to relieve pressure in the sewage system. our correspondent claire marshall is on the river avon in somerset. it isa it is a beautiful evening here, but the problem is what you can't say. more of us than ever before are coming to places like this, but england's rivers are in a dismal state. one reason is because water companies are allowed to pump raw sewage into our rivers after storms. official figures out today from the environment agency show this happened last year more than 400,000 times. they gave us more figures, this was up on 2019, but they do say

they are now monitoring more sites where sewage is coming into our rivers, and that on average the number of spells is down. i don't know whether that is reassuring or not, but the fact is that more data is being released, so if you want to carry out all swim, you can go online and check out whether you want to down dip your toe in. the other thing is that unstable weather is about to change chaotically over the next weekend, and it will become more common as climate change impacts are felt, and a key issue is how we hold the water companies to account for what they discharge into these rivers? the green party has launched its local election campaign today, promising a green recovery from the pandemic. the party's co—leader jonathan bartley said people desperately need hope after an incredibly tough year and the party would campaign in england for more greenjobs, affordable public transport, and warmer homes. more than 128 million people around the world have now had covid—19. but scientists still have

much to learn about the virus. one big question is about immuity and how likely you are to get covid twice, as our science correspondent rebecca morelle reports. we've been living with coronavirus for more than a year and learning how the immune system responds to it. a big question we can now answer is, can you catch covid twice? barry is a surgeon in northern ireland. he caught covid in march last year, but on new year's eve he tested positive again. it was definitely much worse second time, and again temperatures, flu—like symptoms, lost taste and smell on this occasion for around two weeks. reinfections like this are being documented, but they're still relatively rare. recent research suggests that immunity, for most people, lasts at least eight months. but the chance of a second infection may be linked to how the immune system responded to the first. it differs a lot between different people, so you can have someone with

a really high, super—duper response and then you can have other people with not such a good response, but if it starts off not so good, then the longer you go, the more chance of getting reinfected. new coronavirus variants are spreading in different countries, so can variants affect immunity? if you've had a covid, you will have made antibodies, and if you have enough of them and the virus comes back, they attach to its spike, blocking reinfection. for the uk variants, a mutation called n501y changes the spike. but antibodies from an older infection can still recognise it, so past immunity should work. but another mutation alters the spike in a different way — it's called e484k, and it's found in variants like south africa's and brazil's. it means existing antibodies now struggle to recognise the spike, making reinfection more likely.

this has happened in manaus, where brazil's new variant first emerged. during the first wave of the pandemic, the city had to dig mass graves. scientists estimate up to three quarters of the population caught the virus and developed immunity, but cases have soared again, and researchers think many of these are reinfections with the new variant. vaccinations are now being rolled out around the world, so do vaccines offer better immunity? vaccines can be tweaked to deal with variants, and scientists says getting jabbed is the best way to prime the immune system. and if you've had the vaccine, we can be fairly confident that you've made the best immune response that you are capable of making, but if you've had an infection, you may have made a suboptimal immune response, and that could be substantially improved by vaccination. there is still much to learn about immunity, but scientists say understanding how this protection works is vital in the fight against covid. rebecca morelle, bbc news.

just a few weeks after they finally went back to school, children across the uk are breaking up for the holidays again. elaine dunkley has been talking to pupils at one secondary school in manchester about how they've found their return to the classroom. hands up for b! for the pupils at trinity church of england high, it's been about readjusting to life back in the classroom. the buzz around the school was very prominent to see, everybody was happy, they were all screaming, you know — withjoy, of course! when i came back after online school, it just felt like the first day again, and i was just having those nerves in the pit of my stomach. exams! it's been on and off and on and off, and it'sjust exhausting mentally, emotionally draining. the pandemic has brought so much uncertainty. emily is in year seven. most of her time at secondary school has been at home. i'm just so happy to be here and grateful. i love sport so much,

itjust gives me... ifeel, like, fit and healthy, instead of being in the house and just sitting there on the sofa, looking at the screen and laptop. keeping children in school is a priority. the pupils at trinity are given two home testing kits every week. since fully reopening, 16 out of 1400 have been sent to isolate. when we had testing in school and i sneezed inside the hall, then people are thinking, right, people are taking two steps back — "maybe he has it." and it'sjust a bit weird, because then i'm like, if i do have it, that affects my learning, cos i'm going to have to miss another two weeks of school. this week, students have been taking tests and assessments set by the school to help teachers decide which grades be awarded. a—levels, gcses and btec exams have been cancelled because of the disruption. it's just been incredibly, incredibly hard, trying to cope with everything,

and there'll be a lot of young people in my position. just know it is going to get better and all you have to do is just take that first step and ask for help. the pandemic has had an impact on every area of school life, and for the pupils of trinity and elsewhere, there have been some important lessons. just having those teachers just there whenever you need them, whenever you want to speak to them. the pandemic has really just highlighted how important every single one of those teachers are. i feel not only anxious, but i feel excited and nervous, but also just exhilarated that there is a future. elaine dunkley, bbc news, in manchester. time for a look at the weather here's darren bett. it has been another warm day today for most of england and wales,

despite more cloud