A school principal in Kent believes schools reopening on June 1 would be "premature".

His comments are in response to the boss of the head teachers' union who has claimed the earliest date pupils could start returning to schools would be June 1.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, has said planning would need to start "very soon" to meet the June target.

He told the BBC: "We cannot see any realistic way that schools could be re-opened to more pupils before the second half of the summer term."

The principal of Swale Academies Trust Jon Whitcombe thinks speculation over the date of schools reopening is "not going to achieve much".

But he believes it is plausible to expect some form of disruption to education until the end of 2020 - or even into 2021.

"The safety of adults and children in schools needs to be the key consideration," he told KentOnline.

"For as long as there is an expectation by Public Health England that social distancing needs to be in place the idea that schools can return to normal is unlikely.

"The idea that most classrooms can be adapted to facilitate appropriate social distancing is unrealistic.

"A phased partial reopening of schools is possible, subject to health guidance from the government, but putting a date on this is premature."

But Canterbury's Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys’ head Ken Moffat believes the June 1 date is "probably sensible" for Years 10 and 12 who have exams approaching.

"I have seen suggestions we could reopen on May 11 but I also saw a poll at the weekend which said 48% of parents wouldn’t send their children to school," he said.

"It is a question of getting that balance absolutely right.

"What we have at the moment is a really efficient virtual education going on - which I have been really impressed with how well it has been set up."

But Mr Moffat has concerns about social distancing and if it can be properly enforced.

"We have corridors that are a metre and a half wide," he added.

"The other issue is 60% of our kids come to school by bus - I don’t know how that is going to work."

Education secretary Gavin Williamson has not said when schools could reopen.

But he has set out five thresholds amid the fight against the coronavirus that must be met before they welcome back pupils.

They are:

• the NHS's ability to cope is fully protected
• the daily death rate is dropping
• infection rates are falling to manageable levels
• there are sufficient supplies of testing and protective equipment
• there is no risk of a "second peak" of infections

Schools closed to all except vulnerable pupils and those of key workers last month.

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