Gavin Williamson said a change to the summer holidays, a five-term year and longer school days were being examined by the government to help pupils catch up on lost learning during the pandemic.
A young woman from Northumberland is struggling to get home to the North East after life saving surgery in Spain.
Barry Anderson and Sabine Siegerth have seen the pandemic as the perfect opportunity to focus on improving their physical and mental well being.
Campaigners have called on the government to reopen the Leamside railway line between County Durham and Gateshead, which closed more than 50 years ago. More than 1,800 people have signed a petition, led by local MP Sharon Hodgson.