Schools will be allowed to move teachers between bubble groups when all pupils return from September, the government has said.

In secondary schools, and particularly among older children, bubbles are “likely to need to be the size of a year group” to allow them to deliver a full range of subjects, new Department for Education (DfE) guidance states.

And schools will be allowed to move teachers and other staff “across different classes and year groups”, in order to deliver the full timetable, the DfE says.

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The guidance states: “In secondary schools, and certainly in the older age groups at key stage 4 and key stage 5, the groups are likely to need to be the size of a year group to enable schools to deliver the full range of curriculum subjects and students to receive specialist teaching. If this can be achieved with small groups, they are recommended. 

“Schools should assess their circumstances and if class-sized groups are not compatible with offering a full range of subjects or managing the practical logistics within and around school, they can look to implement year group sized ‘bubbles’. 

“All teachers and other staff can operate across different classes and year groups in order to facilitate the delivery of the school timetable. This will be particularly important for secondary schools.”