SOME primary schools in Bournemouth and Poole will open to more year groups from next week.

Year 5 students have already been invited back to Christchurch Junior School and others within the Twynham Learning Group have similar plans.

From Monday June 22 Christchurch Junior School will offer two days per week to all children in Years 5 and 6.

The group also runs Stourfield Junior in Southbourne and Twynham Primary in Christchurch.

Across England the Government has asked primary schools to open to Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils.

But the Twynham Learning Group wants to get more pupils back in the classroom and hopes to invite all year groups back before the end of term.

And it will also be offering five weeks of activity-based childcare during the summer holiday period.

Christchurch Junior head Simon Adorian said the school has seen a high take-up of places in Year 6 with 83 per cent of children in on the first day and numbers rising.

Five days per week provision is continues to be offered to the children of key workers and the numbers in this category are rising as more parents return to work.

He told the Daily Echo: "We have put in a lot of thought to ensure high standards of hygiene and social distancing, regular opportunities and places for handwashing, one way systems, children grouped in “bubbles” of 15 and even zoned areas marked out on the playground and field."

He said rotas have been drawn up for arriving and leaving and for break times and added: "Children have responded brilliantly, adapting to the new systems from day one.

"We are all investigating ways of offering some school time to other year groups from June 29. Each school’s model will be slightly different but our approach is the same."

All schools in the group will offer a full curriculum from net week, based around a distance learning package, complemented by face-to-face learning.

In a letter to parents, Twynham learning Chief Executive Gareth Morris said: "Having now been given more freedom to take our own decisions about which primary pupils to have in school, Trust leaders have reviewed our current capacity and believe that we need to move to a wider model of opening within the primary phrase schools.

"We are working hard to ensure the gaps don’t widen and to put plans in place for the coming months to continue to do our very best for our school communities."

Secondary schools within Twynham Learning and the wider school community continue to focus on distance learning.