Hi, I'm Marston, and I'm four years old, almost five.

I know reading, I know numbers, letters, you you know stuff like that.

This week millions of school pupils will make their way to class,

some like Ashling, for the first time.

I'm going to start it in September.

It will be my first day.

I'm excited.

Many won't have been back to school since March. Instead, they'll have been trying to keep up with their

lessons through homeschooling. I've been learning at home too. But the new term will come with new challenges.

Going back to school in the midst of a global pandemic isn't easy.

How will it all work?

I don't know.

You're listening to stories of our times

from the Times and the Sunday Times.

I'm Manveen Rana.

Today, Bub, fines and face masks. How do we reopen our schools? In March, as the country went into lockdown, schools closed their gates to all but a few children. The return of

pupils, which has already begun in parts of the country and will continue in the coming days,

is seen as a national priority.

I think the crucial thing is that all pupils get back to school next week and in the succeeding days

in the staggered way that we want.

One more step towards some form of normality.

It's seen as a particularly important move for the pupils themselves.

...