Government research indicates secondary school pupils pose greater coronavirus risk than primary students, reports suggest

Government research used by ministers to insist that it is safe for pupils to return to school suggests that some secondary school pupils may spread coronavirus at a similar rate to adults, according to reports. Public Health England (PHE) researchers are rumoured to be disconcerted with the way the findings – which are yet to be fully analysed or published – have been construed by top politicians, who have thus far not mentioned the alleged discovery of the supposedly growing risk posed by pupils as they increase in age. With Boris Johnson declaring the return of all pupils to be the “national priority” and describing continued closures as “morally indefensible” on Sunday, education secretary Gavin Williamson touted the latest PHE research as making it “clear there is little evidence that the virus is transmitted at school”.