Around 50% of Luxembourg's primary school pupils are heading back to school this Monday. The other half will return to the school desks on Wednesday.
Luxembourg's primary schools were closed for 10 weeks. During this period, pupils were forced to rely on remote learning.
Everyday school life will not be the same than before the outbreak of the pandemic. Classes were split into smaller groups of a maximum of 10 children (12 for "Cycle 4"). Classes will also alternate on a weekly basis. This means that each group will have to be physically present every second week.
Only this week all children have to go back to school - but not all at the same time. Group A will be physically present on Monday and Tuesday while group B has to go to school Wednesday to Friday. This decision was taken so that each pupil can see their teacher before the Pentecost holidays.
A number of additional safety measures have been implemented. School desks are placed apart and classes have their breaks at different times. Some exceptions apply for the Cycle 1, which includes the two mandatory years of kindergarten. The youngest children do not have to wear face masks and can move more freely inside the classroom.
The supervision of the pupils and school meals will be free of charge until the summer break. 52% of all children will still be supervised at school during the home learning weeks. Almost a third of all pupils will also be looked after between 1pm and 4pm.
