JUST under 10,000 children are back in primary school in Devon.

That figure is made up of 4,221 children of key workers and vulnerable children and 5,638 children from Reception, Year 1 and Year 6.

That is about 40 per cent of the total number of children in those groups.

There has also been a trebling of the number of key worker children since the half-term break.

Devon County Council’s deputy leader and Cabinet member for schools, James McInnes, said: ‘Our schools in Devon have done a tremendous job in providing for the children of key workers and vulnerable children throughout the pandemic.

‘And they’re now providing for thousands of children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 as well. But the safety of the children and their families and our school staff has to be paramount.

‘Many of our schools simply don’t have the room to accommodate more pupils with the social distancing rules we currently have and so this was a very sensible decision.

‘I am glad headteachers now have the freedom to do more if they have the room and the staff available and I think it is very important that we all work together to achieve more clarity for parents and families on exactly what we will be able to offer them in the new academic year.’