Students in secondary school are being asked to take coronavirus tests upon their return to school today, to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.

Boris Johnson has paid tribute to women who are leading figures in the UK’s coronavirus vaccination programme this International Women’s Day.

He said in a tweet: “Their ingenuity, dedication and hard work is an inspiration to all of us.”

The women he praised included Professor Sarah Gilbert, who helped develop the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine; former vaccines taskforce head Kate Bingham; medical regulator boss Dr June Raine; and NHS England’s Dr Emily Lawson and Dr Nikki Kanani.

Children’s minister Vicky Ford said secondary school students should be “strongly encouraged” to wear masks, but their use is not mandatory.

Asked whether schools where there is not much mask-wearing should close, she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “No, I think that we should strongly encourage them to wear the masks, I think the vast majority of young people, they get this.

“But there will be some who will be very anxious and nervous about doing so and that’s why we understand that and that is why we have not made it mandatory but we have strongly encouraged this.”

She added that a child who tests positive for coronavirus with a lateral flow test but subsequently receives a negative PCR result should not return to school.

“They should not take the risk, we all want to make sure we can keep Covid out of the classrooms here,” she said.

Hundreds of thousands of care home residents will be allowed to receive indoor visits from a nominated loved one from today.

Residents with the highest care needs can receive more frequent visits from a loved one who will provide essential care and support.

Visitors must undergo Covid tests before their visit, wear personal protective equipment (PPE) and be asked to keep physical contact to a minimum.

Holding hands is allowed but hugs and kisses are not, to keep the chance of spreading coronavirus to a minimum.

However, in care homes where Covid-19 outbreaks have occurred, the nominated visitors will not be allowed inside.

Professor Calum Semple, from the University of Liverpool and a member of Sage, said schools were “absolutely” safe for children and it was safe for schools to go back.

“The subtle question about transmission and teachers, and bringing it home, well the school infection survey is showing that primary school children are half as likely to have had it and probably half as likely to transmit it,” he told BBC Breakfast.

“Secondary school children (are) slightly less protected because as they become adolescents they effectively have the biology of an adult, but even there, they’re half to a quarter as likely to have had it and transmit it.

“So the main driver is not the pupil-teacher relationship.

“When we talk about schools, it is the fact that the school brings adults together, whether that’s teaching staff, the domestic staff, the catering staff, and it’s an opportunity for mixing.”

He said the issue was down to “the fact that schools are a place of work”.

Labour has called for catch-up breakfast clubs before school to help children recover lost learning form the pandemic.

According to the party’s analysis of government data, children have each lost an average of 109 face-to-face school days since the first lockdown in March 2020.

Breakfast clubs would allow children extra time to socialise, said Labour, while giving schools extra learning periods to provide targeted tuition or catch-up support.

Sir Keir Starmer said: “The Government has treated our children as an afterthought throughout this pandemic and now they are being forgotten in our recovery.

“I am announcing our Bright Future Taskforce to ensure every child can recover from the impacts of the pandemic and every child is able to reach their potential.

“Labour wants to see our children’s recovery at the heart of efforts to rebuild our country so we can make Britain the best place to grow up in.”

Shadow education secretary Kate Green said: “The Government’s catch-up plans fall woefully short of the support needed to help children recover from the pandemic, condemning the life chances of a generation of young people.

“Ministers should listen to Labour’s call for breakfast clubs to give every child a healthy breakfast, more time to play with their friends and extra time for teachers to provide targeted catch-up support.

“The Government must be more ambitious for children’s recovery.”

Millions of pupils will be welcomed back into the classroom in schools in England today, as part of the first stage of lockdown easing.

It marks the return of schools in at least two months. Most primary schools are expected to welcome all students back, but secondary schools pupils are likely to have their return staggered over the week to allow for mass testing.

Secondary school students will be asked to take three voluntary Covid-19 tests on site and one at home over the first fortnight – after which they will be sent home-testing kits to do twice a week.

They are also advised to wear face masks wherever social distancing cannot be maintained, including in the classroom.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson said he was looking into proposals that included a five-year academic year, a shorter summer holiday and longer school days to help students catch up on lost learning during the pandemic.

Good morning, and welcome to The Independent’s liveblog following the latest developments in the coronavirus pandemic.