23 March 2020 – All schools to close except to children of essential workers and vulnerable children

Type of Intervention: Executive Order
Sectors Involved: Education
Intervention Categories: Social and physical distancing measures; Adapting or closing schools
Level of Jurisdiction: National
Lead People/Agency: Department for Education
PM Boris Johnson
Gavin Williamson MP

Overview: Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces that schools in the UK are to shut from Friday 20th March as a response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Schools will close except for looking after the children of keyworkers and vulnerable children. This academic year’s GCSE and A-level exams will not go ahead.
Full details here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/schools-colleges-and-early-years-settings-to-close

Other links: 1 2 3
Type of Justification: Advice of INTERNAL government advisory committee or group
Source of Evidence or Justification: National – academic
Evidence/Justification: Imperial Report: “Combining all four interventions (social distancing of the entire population, case isolation, household quarantine and school and university closure) is predicted to have the largest impact, short of a complete lockdown which additionally prevents people going to work.”