Now, it is a very concerning time for everyone, of course, including parents, teachers, pupils and workers in our schools. I am trying to put myself in their shoes here. We know that schools will need to close for the majority of pupils in due course, and that’s inevitable to prevent the spread of the virus. Now, anyone who says differently, I'm sorry, they are burying their heads in the sand on this. There are a number of questions arising from that but, unfortunately, there is no statement from the education Minister this afternoon, which is surprising. We have a health statement, an economy statement and a local government statement, but nothing with regard to education and schools. Now, we do have to have clarity about what the plan is for schools, what is the timeline for closing the majority of schools, but also what provision will be made for children of key workers. We know that those children will still need to have provisions so that people can go to their jobs in the health service and in other settings.

We need clarity about special schools. What will be the arrangements for free-school-meals children, how will they be fed? And we also need to encourage those parents who can do so to keep their children at home voluntarily. I'm sure we can encourage them to do that, but they should do so without being penalised. What will happen with exams? There is a whole host of questions arising, and in the meantime there are questions starting to be asked now about hygiene arrangements in secondary schools—many questions. Hopefully, at some point, we can have a constructive discussion on these issues.