Schools in Blackburn with Darwen have been advised to begin reopening from June 8, with pupils in reception being the first to return to the classroom.

However, Lancashire County Council, who run local authority schools in Hyndburn, Ribble Valley, Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale, have said the decision on whether to accept more pupils will rest with head teachers, in consultation with their governors, as they are best-placed to decide on whether it is safe for them to do so.

With plans to re-open differing from borough to borough and across the UK as a whole, we are asking our readers the question:

Are you sending your child back to school on Monday?

And what are the reasons for your decisions.

Lancashire County Council said it will support the decisions made by their schools, and if a school does agree to accept more pupils, parents will not be fined by the council if they decide not to send their children.

Councillor Phillippa Williamson, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Schools, said: "Our schools have been doing a magnificent job throughout the lockdown period.

"We have been having productive and detailed discussions with our schools and the teaching unions.

"Lancashire is a large and diverse county and the decision about how many pupils it is safe to have in a school depends on context and geography and is therefore one for individual head teachers, in consultation with their governing body.

"They are best-placed to understand the safety, welfare and education of their pupils, and we will continue to support the decisions they make.

"We realise that our parents will be looking for guidance from their child's school and that this is the most important relationship.

"We are aware that schools have been working closely with their parents.

"Parents will of course choose whether or not to send their children back to school and they will be supported in this decision by the council.

"The council will not be fining parents or using other enforcement if they choose not to send their children back to school."

Children in Year Ten of secondaries in Blackburn with Darwen are expected to return during the summer to prepare for their GCSE exams 2021.

The council is also urging primary schools to open up for all Year One pupils on June 15, and Year Six pupils are recommended to return to class as part of a phased programme before the end of term on July 20.