Teachers in England's Liverpool were given priority in testing for the coronavirus on Saturday (January 2) ahead of schools reopening for the spring term.

But primary schools in the capital London will remain shut to counter the rapid spread of a much more infectious variant of the coronavirus.

The spring term will begin on Monday (January 4).

One teacher said she thought the entire country should adopt the same approach when it comes to keeping schools open or closed.

"I think the country needs to do the same so that we're all in this together and we all come out of it at the same time," said Stephanie Connolly, head of maths at Broughton Hall Catholic High School in Liverpool.

Read the latest coronavirus news: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/coronavirus-news-covid-vaccine-oxford-lockdown-tiers-deaths/

Subscribe to The Telegraph on YouTube ► https://bit.ly/3idrdLH

Get the latest headlines: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/

Telegraph.co.uk and YouTube.com/TelegraphTV are websites of The Telegraph, the UK's best-selling quality daily newspaper providing news and analysis on UK and world events, business, sport, lifestyle and culture.