Coronavirus: Schools look for makeshift classrooms as ministers accused of having 'no plan' to restart classes

Latest updates and essential advice from the news source you trust Trouble viewing? [View in browser]( [Image]( [Image] Daily coronavirus briefing Latest updates and essential advice from the news source you trust Schools look to turn hotels and church halls into makeshift classrooms as ministers accused of having 'no plan' to restart classes Headteachers have been left to [find hotels and church halls to use as makeshift classrooms]( after ministers were criticised for having “no plan” to reopen schools in September. Former Tory education secretary Justine Greening said it was “untenable” the government still did not know how it was going to get pupils back into class safely, almost three months after they were ordered to close due to the coronavirus pandemic. The remarks come after Gavin Williamson scrapped plans unveiled just last month to reopen primary schools across England to all pupils ahead of the six week summer holidays. Hundreds of protestors crowded outside Oxford University’s Oriel College on Tuesday to [demand the removal of the statue of imperialist Cecil Rhodes]( – the latest in a string of anti-racism demonstrations that have spread across the globe in response to the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in the US. Students at the university first called for the statue of Rhodes to be brought down in 2015 in opposition to his legacy of white supremacist views and his role in paving the way for apartheid in South Africa. Now, global Black Lives Matter protests and events in Bristol – where activists removed a statue of slaver Edward Colston and flung it into the city harbour – have inspired renewed calls for the removal of the Rhodes monument. Floyd, the man whose death in Minneapolis sparked the international push for racial justice, was [finally laid to rest]( in his hometown of Houston, Texas, on Tuesday. He was buried alongside his mother, Larcenia, in the Houston Memorial Gardens. Though she died two years before him, he had called out to her in his final moments, which were seen and heard around the world. “You called for mama, now we’re gonna lay your body next to hers,” said civil rights leader Reverend Al Sharpton in his eulogy. “I know mama’s already embraced you George. Go on and get your rest.” Join our Independent Premium virtual event today at 6.30pm to discuss the future of the NHS after coronavirus. Editor Christian Broughton, award-winning health correspondent Shaun Lintern and a panel of expert guests - including shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth - will look at how the health service recovers from the pandemic. [Book your ticket now.]( Podcast [Image]( The Independent Coronavirus Podcast Subscribe now wherever you listen for all the latest coronavirus news. [Listen now]( There's now three ways to support independent journalism. Why not explore our [subscription options](, [choose to donate]( or simply [register for free](? Top stories [I'm an image]( PREMIUM [It is time to put children’s interests first and reopen schools]( [I'm an image]( [Statue of slave trader Robert Milligan removed from plinth in London]( [I'm an image]( [Sadiq Khan will review all statues in London]( More news [Boris Johnson says the UK isn’t racist. Black Britons disagree]( [Zoos in England can reopen next week as Boris Johnson eases lockdown]( [London’s oldest theatre discovered in East End excavation]( [UK ‘must prepare for riots’ as anger grows over Covid restrictions]( [Tory minister says eating chlorinated chicken should be up to consumer]( [Book your ticket]( Suggested for you [I'm an image]( [How BLM and Bristolian vandalism renewed hope Rhodes could fall]( [I'm an image]( [George Floyd’s family promises ‘justice will be served’]( [I'm an image]( [Sweden hopes to find out who killed their prime minister in 1986]( [I'm an image]( [Wretch 32 shares footage of his father being Tasered by police]( Follow us [Twitter]( [Facebook]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's News email. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent News email and Breaking News alerts, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Headlines_Masterlist_CDP). If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe [here](. This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345. Read our [privacy notice]( and [cookie policy](.