Boris Johnson has written an open letter to the nation’s parents telling them they are doing a great job during lockdown and saying his government is doing all it can to help them.  

The attempt to boost morale comes just days after Mr Johnson dashed the hopes of millions by announcing that schools in England will not reopen until 8 March at the earliest.  

However, schools in Wales could allow pupils to return weeks earlier, after the February half-term. it has been announced.  

Mr Johnson insists the additional time is needed to allow millions of coronavirus vaccinations to take effect.  

But the move will leave parents homeschooling their children for at least an extra few weeks.  

In his open letter, Mr Johnson tells parents “you are doing a great job”.  

“You’re doing great for your own kids, and you’re doing great for the whole country too. Because by staying at home you are playing a vital role in getting this awful virus back under control. You are buying time for our army of vaccinators to protect the vulnerable. You are paving the way back to normality and you are, quite literally, saving lives. And for that I cannot thank you enough.”  

He also claims the government is “doing everything we can to support you” despite warnings many parents are struggling.   

The Conservative leader pointed to laptops that have been sent to schools to help pupils access online teaching and the free school meals scheme.  

He pledged that when the current crisis was over “we’re going to be putting hundreds of millions of pounds into nationwide catch-up programmes so that nobody gets left behind.”

He also said he was “particularly in awe of the way the parents, carers and guardians of children have risen to the unique challenges with which you have been faced…. you have been dealt the trickiest of hands yet played it magnificently.”  

Labour has called for more help for working parents in England during this latest lockdown, the third since the pandemic began.  

The party wants access to the furlough scheme to be widened and childcare providers given more support.  

Earlier this month Labour warned that nearly 19,000 childcare providers could be forced to close their doors within six months and more than 30,000 by next Christmas.