Schools on the peninsula are working out how to safely reopen following Prime Minister Boris Johnson' announcement that pupils in reception, and years one and six will be allowed back on June 1, if infection rates allow.

However, concerns have been expressed about the practicalities of parents getting their children back into school, the safety of staff and children.

Clare Flintoff, Chief Executive Officer of ASSET Education, which runs Shotley and Stutton primary schools on the peninsula, was not surprised to hear the message from Boris Johnson that schools may be required to return as early as June 1 and the Trust has been scenario planning for some time around potential ways to return safely.

More details are due to emerge from the Government this afternoon in a 50-page document covering all aspects of the easing of lockdown, including school openings and schools will make more definitive plans once that has been digested.

"All parents want to ensure that their children will be kept safe and we need to understand how the government feels that can be achieved," said Mrs Flintoff. "The safety of our staff is also a key priority given that adults are more prone to serious illness than children seem to be. There is more evidence emerging on this that we will be considering carefully

"The announcement that Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 children may be able to return from 1st June will not help families with children in other year-groups get back to work and we will be looking at that closely.

"It is too early for families to make definite plans based on this announcement. As soon as we can say what this means for children in our schools on the peninsula, we will do so.

"In the meantime, the remote learning offer from both schools is excellent and I pay tribute to the teachers who are working extremely hard behind the scenes to support every child."

The Prime Minister has outlined a phased return of schools from June 1, as part of a planned second wave of easing lockdown measures from Covid-19 hoped secondary school pupils due to sit exams next year would have some time with teachers before the summer break.

Education chiefs at Suffolk County Council have confirmed work has already been well underway in planning for what they already know will be needed.

Adrian Orr, assistant director for education and learning said: "We are involved in significant planning with the [education] sector about all the things that will need to be in place for increasing numbers returning to school.

"That's everything from staffing, school buildings, what cleaning might be needed and transport.

"What we have done as a group of officers and sector representatives from academies is work on what we do know we will have to do.

"There is planning around staffing and moving them from the rota system they are on [for teaching key workers and digital lessons] to be able to rota enough staff for increasing numbers in schools.

"The moment you start thinking about school buildings and how to keep pupils safe there are issues about cleaning routines, there are discussions with who the cleaning contractor is.

"Some schools to manage the infection control potential have effectively decamped to one area of the school, so there is school planning to use more of the space in the school."

More details about the phased return of schools is expected to be announced in Parliament on Monday and in the run-up to June 1, as uncertainty remains over a host of issues such as the size of classes to adequately distance pupils, a longer school day featuring different years being taught at different times, and whether certain year groups will be prioritised.

However, the council said there were also barriers to overcome in how parents are supported who may be reluctant to send their children back to school.

Mr Orr added: "What we are in the process of pulling together is a framework for Suffolk schools to help them inform individual plans.

"We have not taken a command and control approach to this as we know it hasn't worked in other authorities and in a highly autonomous school system the secret, we believe, is to do it in collaboration with the key leaders in the sector.

"We have come to a common understanding on the things we can do now, and we are in as strong a position as an area can be given all the uncertainties."

Many schools, including Brooklands at Brantham, Tattingstone, Holbrook and Chelmondiston, as well as Shotley and Stutton, have measured out classrooms, calculated how many pupils they can have at one time, knowing they might not be able to have every year group in all the time.