more from our education correspondent elaine dunkley.ne primary in halifax, teachers are struggling with the numbers. during the first lockdown, 13 pupils attended. today, there are more than 17 classes. i mean, you say a lockdown but it doesn't feel like a lockdown, does it? i mean, teachers are having to split their time not only teaching the children that are coming to school, but also you then have got the vast majority that are trying to get online. we have had children go home with covid and pass it on to grandparents who are living with them, and those grandparents, sadly, have passed on. more than 600 pupils here are eligible for a school place. according to the government's criteria, a child needs one parent who is a key worker to be in school, and the government has expanded the offer of a school place to children who lack devices for remote learning and for those without a space to learn at home. sajida is a teaching assistant and iram is a school receptionist. both are key workers but have come to different decisions on bring

more from our education correspondent elaine dunkley.parkinson lane primary in halifax, teachers are struggling with the numbers. during the first lockdown, 13 pupils attended. today, there are more than 17 classes. i mean, you say a lockdown but it doesn't feel like a lockdown, does it? i mean, teachers are having to split their time not only teaching the children that are coming to school, but also you then have got the vast majority that are trying to get online. we have had children go home with covid and pass it on to grandparents who are living with them, and those grandparents, sadly, have passed on. more than 600 pupils here are eligible for a school place. according to the government's criteria, a child needs one parent who is a key worker to be in school, and the government has expanded the offer of a school place to children who lack devices for remote learning and for those without a space to learn at home. sajida is a teaching assistant and iram is a school receptionist. both are key workers but have come to different decisi

elaine dunkley, bbc news. nurseries to remain shut until then. the first minister, nicola sturgeon, said although coronavirus case numbers seemed to be declining any relaxation could send the situation into reverse. the former conservative prime minister theresa may has accused her successor, borisjohnson, of abandoning what she called britain's position of global moral leadership. writing in the daily mail to mark the inauguration of us presidentjoe biden, she criticised mrjohnson for failing to honour british values when he threatened to break international law during the brexit trade talks. it's understood the government's emergency committee cobra has met to discuss the risks of flooding, with major incidents declared in south yorkshire and greater manchester as storm christoph is set to bring extreme rainfall to parts of the uk. parts of wales are expected to see around 200 millimetres of rain with 150 millimetres in the north of england. amber weather warnings have been declared in yorkshire and the humb

elaine dunkley, bbc news, in halifax.urdered three men in a park in reading injune last year has been given a whole—life sentence for his crimes. year has been given a whole—life the three friends were sitting in a park when they were stabbed by khairi saadallah in a brutal attack. our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford reports on the case. police, emergency. a load of people have been stabbed in forbury gardens. we need police and ambulances. yeah, iunderstand... all the ambulances you can get. 0n the phone to the 999 operator, roger smith had just witnessed what thejudge has ruled was a deadly terrorist attack, the speed of it caught on cctv. the attacker, khairi saadallah, was hunted downjust moments later by unarmed police. in the park, three friends lay dying. history teacherjames furlong, research scientist dr david wails, and pharmaceutical managerjoseph ritchie—bennett. all were gay, but it's not thought the attacker knew that. he then moved on to another group of men, first running at andrew cafe. that im

elaine dunkley, bbc news. football clubs know there is increased scrutiny on player behaviour and the necessity to follow covid rules, following several breaches among some clubs at the weekend. some experts are now calling for the game to stop during lockdown. 0ur sports editor dan roan has more. sheffield united and newcastle united emerging in the last few minutes, the first of three premier league matches tonight. elite sport has mapping managed to avoid being suspended. these scenes made a mockery of the protocols. some say the sport can still be trusted. the exposure and the comments and the explanation of the risks, i think now the boys even with that crazy happiness of a big day, they will control. with more than 60 games postponed due to covid, pressure is building. fulham, furious they were given two days notice ahead of a rearranged match tomorrow. given two days notice ahead of a rearranged match tomorrowm given two days notice ahead of a rearranged match tomorrow. it is the premier league, one of

elaine dunkley, bbc news.nesses in hospitality, retail and leisure of up to £9,000 to try to keep them afloat until springtime. the move has been welcomed by industry groups, although they say the money is nowhere near enough to save many firms from closing. our business correspondent sarah corker has more details. we've got a 39—bed hotel closed, a bistro closed, ice—cream parlour closed, a function room, a bar closed. no customers, no money coming in, but there are still bills to pay. entire part of the economy are in shutdown again. here in clitheroe in lancashire, this business has already cancelled hundreds of weddings and events. 400 staff are on furlough. the stop—start process that we've been going through for ten months now is very, very difficult, cos you can't make any kind of plans, really. and a lot of reactions are very short—term, very... you know, you have 2a, 48 hours or whatever between the government saying one thing and then announcing something else. so that's been very, very challenging,

elaine dunkley, bbc news, in halifax.eople have already received the covid vaccine — but calls not to get complacent, and still comply with the rules. and still to come — joe biden is to become the first president who has a stammer. we look at what it's like to live with the condition — that also affects around 1.5 million adults across the uk. coming up on sportsday on bbc news... golf distanced itself from the us president donald trump, as the pga of america strips his course, trump national in bedminster, of hosting the pga championship in 2022. a failed asylum seeker who stabbed three friends to death as they sat together in a park on a summer's day has been sentenced to life in prison. khairi saadallah shouted "allahu akhbar!" as he fatally stabbed james furlong, david wails and joseph ritchie—bennett in reading onjune 20 last year. the 26—year—old had only been released from prison a fortnight earlier. here's our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford. police, emergency. a load of people have been stabbed in for

elaine dunkley, bbc news.rose, have followed morrisons in cracking down on shoppers who don't follow coronavirus rules. customers will now have to wear a mask unless medically exempt, or they won't be allowed in. people are also being asked to shop alone where possible and maintain social distancing. there's concern about the long term impact that working on the front line during this pandemic will have on nhs staff with the added risk of anxiety, depression and burn—out. mps have been warned that core staff end up may leaving the nhs. it's estimated that as many as 600,000 health and social care staff — that's one in five workers — may need mental health support once the pandemic is over, as dominic hughes reports. the relentless pressure of work, the fear of contracting the virus. it just destroyed me. it destroyed me in a really bad way. for health and care workers, these are the toughest of times. when a patient dies, that really carries an emotional burden. the impact of which will be felt for years to co

elaine dunkley, bbc news.hroughout wales," according to the country's health minister. vaughan gething said that cases of coronavirus in wales, which is under national lockdown restrictions, "remain very high", though rates have fallen back from "incredibly high levels" seen before christmas. scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, is expected to announce new restrictions later today, following a sharp rise in the number of coronavirus cases. parliament has been recalled on a bank holiday to allow her to make an urgent statement on the new measures. alexandra mackenzie is in glasgow. the first minister is under significant pressure for a quick and decisive decision. nicola sturgeon has been meeting with her cabinet this morning. she is due to address parliament within the next hour. parliament has been recalled on a bank holiday. that shows you just how serious this situation is. nicola sturgeon has said that we are at the most dangerous point in this pandemic because of their new variant. she said the num

elaine dunkley, bbc news.level, as and gcse students in england can sit mini—exams and external assessments, just a week after this summer's exams were cancelled. the minister said the tests would help to determine fair grades. mr williamson also promised not to use an algorithm to rank students, following criticism about their use last year. the uk's major supermarkets have warned the government that an urgent intervention is needed to prevent more disruption to northern ireland's food supplies. since the uk separated from the eu, there've been new checks and paperwork on food products being shipped over the irish sea, which have caused delays. for over a week now, shoppers in northern ireland have seen shortages in some supermarkets. here's our ireland correspondent, emma vardy. 0vernight, the way we get food into northern ireland from great britain has hugely changed, and shoppers are noticing. i thought i would give everyone a quick update on local supermarkets in northern ireland. i spent an hour today dr

elaine dunkley, bbc news.re being introduced to try tackle the spread of the coronavirus. among the changes announced by first minister nicola sturgeon are a toughening of the rules around click and collect services and takeaways. we can talk to our scotland correspondent lorna gordon in glasgow. 0n the face of it, these aren't big changes, given the challenges they face? . , ., ., ., ., face? yeah, there is not a lot of win ale face? yeah, there is not a lot of wiggle room _ face? yeah, there is not a lot of wiggle room considering - face? yeah, there is not a lot of. wiggle room considering scotland face? yeah, there is not a lot of - wiggle room considering scotland is under a tight lockdown already, but the first minister says the situation here is precarious. close to 1800 people are in hospital with covid. she says the numbers testing positive for covid might be stabilising, but they are stabilising, but they are stabilising at a very high level, so there is going to be a tightening of restrictions in si

elaine dunkley, bbc news, 0ldham. simple thing like reading a story together on video calls can make things just that bit easier, as daniela relph reports. hi, alicia! hi! how are you? good. what's that picture behind you? _ annette landy doesn'tjust read to her granddaughter, she matches her background to the story. the picture behind me is... it's got harry potter in it, ron and hedwig. chapter one, the worst birthday. not for the first time, an argument had broken out over breakfast... annette has been reading with alicia, who's eight, since march. she's been isolating and wanted to maintain their close relationship. i certainly felt with alicia that there were less points of contact with her because her life and mine were getting very separated. and sort of reading to her was a way in to keeping that. and for alicia, it's been a lovely way to keep in touch with granny, who she calls "g—ma". well, the first bit... the first time we read together we read the first harry potter book. brilliant. then we read the secre

elaine dunkley, bbc news.e catholic church. today a devastating report revealed that around nine thousand children died over eight decades. at one home in county galway, nearly 800 children died, and it's thought many of them are buried in a sewage system. 0ur ireland correspondent chris page has been hearing the storey of a man who was born there. the only thing that i can remember is the beds being wet. i'd march down to school, i had to go ten minutes late in the morning. you had to leave ten minutes early in the evening. we were all cornered off in a section of the playground by the nuns, so you wouldn't mix with the other kids. and then to be locked up in what i call a prison really and to think like why? just because i was born out of wedlock. pj spent his first seven years in the home which once stood here. ireland in the 19505 was a deeply conservative catholic society. unmarried women who were pregnant were taken into religious institutions and separated from their children. the fathers got away with

than 800,000 laptops and tablets to support remote learning, but as our education correspondent elaine dunkleyes to arrive. at this school in leeds, classes are full. some children are at school because they can't get online at home. ~ ., ., ,., , home. we are dealing with parents stru: calin home. we are dealing with parents struggling with _ home. we are dealing with parents struggling with the _ home. we are dealing with parents struggling with the prices - home. we are dealing with parents struggling with the prices and - home. we are dealing with parents struggling with the prices and free | struggling with the prices and free school meals... struggling with the prices and free school meals. . .— struggling with the prices and free school meals... families have had a lot to deal — school meals... families have had a lot to deal with. _ school meals... families have had a lot to dealwith. here, _ school meals... families have had a lot to deal with. here, a _ school meals. .. families have had a lot to dealwith. here, a lack- school meals... families have had a lot to deal with. here, a la

elaine dunkley has more. there are more than 17 classes. i mean, you say a lockdown, but it doesn't feel like a lockdown. teachers are having to split their time, not only teaching the children that are coming to school, but then you've also got the vast majority that are trying to get online. we've had children go home with covid and pass it on to grandparents who are living with them and those grandparents sadly have passed on. more than 600 pupils here are eligible for a school place. according to the government's criteria, a child only needs one parent who is a key worker to be in school, and the government has expanded the offer of a school place to children who lack devices for remote learning and those who don't have a space to learn at home. just down the road at ash green community primary school, classrooms are full. the government says all children who can stay at home should, but the headteacher says parents are being given mixed messages. to have advice like last week coming from the secretary of

but, as our education correspondent elaine dunkley reports, some schools are still waiting for devicesre, a lack of devices has meant 30 additional children in classes. families with 3—5 several siblings trying to get round 1—2 two devices. i could have done with double the amount because of the type of families we've got. we need to make sure we're equipped to deal with everything we need to do, and we have the technology and the training. in england the government has issued 800,000 laptops to schools but it's still short of its 1.3 million target. donna and lucas have struggled, they have reason to be given a device but most of their remote learning has been done without a laptop. —— they've recently been given a device. i was planning to use my mobile phone. i need for phone calls as well, and obviously the battery dies more quickly on a mobile. the laptop is helping to keep his education going. it's to the best of my ability that i can give him at home so he doesn't miss out on any more education. higher attendance in some primary schools compared to the last looked —— lockdown ha

than 800,000 laptops and tablets to support remote learning but, as our education correspondent elaine dunkley. at this school in leeds, classes are full. some children are at school because they can't get online at home. we are dealing with parents struggling with the crisis and free school meals... families have had a lot to deal with. here, a lack of devices has meant 30 additional children in classes. families with several siblings trying to get round one or two devices. i could have done with double the amount because of the type of families we've got. we need to make sure we are equipped to deal with everything we need to do and we have the technology and the training. in england the government has issued 800,000 laptops to schools but it is still short of its 1.3 million target. donna and lucas have struggled, they have reason to be given a device but most of their remote learning has been done without a laptop. i was planning to use my mobile phone. i need for phone calls as well and oversee the battery dies more quickly on a mobile. the laptop is helping to keep his education going. i

our education correspondent elaine dunkley reports. my girlfriend, we conceived when we were 15. we were still in school, we was in the middle of our gcses. i didn't do the best in school, i wasn't the brightest, but managed to get an apprenticeship. the department for education has announced £65 million of investment and an offer to fully fund college courses to all adults in england without an a level or equivalent qualification. the association of colleges has called for more funding for student living costs, but the principle of oldham college says it is a landmark moment in education. well, it's around about 50% of the population currently, of 16—18—year—olds currently end up at university, but that begs the question of what happens to the other 50%, and of course it's a much wider group adults who historically have not been through the university route. the aim of this white paper is to give them more choice and to create sets of qualifications, delivered locally, in partnership with employers. one of the biggest challenges for c

here's our education correspondent elaine dunkley. the first day of the new term.isting that schools are safe, many children and teachers have not returned. there is 21 members of staff that have opted not to come into school because they would consider it to be an unsafe environment. in my school, that has led to nursery, year three and year four not coming into school, so they will be learning from home, which again, logistically, it is really complicated to organise. in london, and across parts of the southeast, primary schools are closed. but the parents here in manchester, the end of the christmas holiday has led to tough decisions. down south, they've closed all the primary school, so i don't see what the difference is between us closing our secondary schools but not primary. yeah, i absolutely think the school should be open. i think it is a great opportunity for the children to interact with other children socially. i completely appreciate the argument about the spread of the virus being around schools, but i think it is quite important to have that as well