ON WEDNESDAY, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that schools would close from Friday afternoon for all children apart from those of key workers.

This left parents across the UK with the challenge of home schooling while the country battles coronavirus.

The Aspirations Academies Trust, which deals with Magna, Ocean, Jewell and Bovington academies, said its schools would care for children of school staff, supermarket workers, police, pharmacy workers and armed forces, as well as dealing with other children who may need to attend school.

A spokesperson for Aspirations Academies Trust said: “We are all public servants and in this time of real crisis we need to support the needs of the country.

“The government expect schools to continue to educate around 10 per cent of their school population.

“Aspirations Academies Trust schools will also remain open during the Easter holidays to look after the children of key workers.

“There may be other children outside of these groups who need to attend school and so we will deal with children in this situation on a case by case basis.

“However, the main aim of school closures is to manage the spread of the coronavirus and so it is important for parents of all other students to follow government advice and keep your child away from school.”

Magna Academy in Poole has given students access to a virtual school which contains a number of digital resources including Google Classroom.

And headteacher Natasha Ullah reminded parents it is important their children follow a well-balanced routine as they would do in school.

She said: “We encourage our students to continue to live by our mantra of ‘Work Hard, Be Kind’ using the time when they are not studying to support their parents/carer within their home.

“Equally, it is important for students to make the most of this opportunity to spend quality time reading and talking about their learning at home.”

Ms Ullah suggested pupils view their day as a normal school day, adopt a positive mindset and wake up at a regular time.

She also urged pupils to get a good breakfast, keep a good supply of drinks handy and make a comfortable workspace.

Have a no-phone rule and challenge yourself.