When do schools break up for Christmas – will they close early?
Schools across the UK have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with students of all ages enduring remote learning for months.
However, the past term has seen some kind of return to normality as children have been encouraged to go back to school – even when the rest of the country have had to stay at home.
The festive season is well and truly upon us, and students (and teachers!) are itching to find out whether they will get to break up early for Christmas.
Here is all you need to know.
When do schools break up for Christmas?
Schools in England can break up a day early at the end of this term, so staff can have a ‘proper break’ from track and trace over Christmas, the government has announced.
Headteachers will be allowed to take an inset day on the last Friday of term to allow a ‘clear six days’ ahead of Christmas Eve, Schools Standards Minister Nick Gibbs told MPs.
Addressing the virtual Education Select Committee on Tuesday, Mr Gibbs said: ‘Inset days can be used on Friday December 18, even if an inset day had not been originally scheduled for that day.
‘We want there to be a clear six days so that, by the time we reach Christmas Eve, staff can have a proper break without having to engage in the track and trace issues.’
This means that most schools will have the very last day of term on Thursday, December 17.
In Wales, all secondary schools and colleges in Wales will shut for face-to-face teaching on Monday, December 14, and move to online learning for the last week of term.
Primary schools and special schools are being encouraged to remain open because education minister Kirsty Williams said it was harder for younger children to undertake ‘self-directed learning’.
The Scottish Government previously announced that it has no plans to change the school term dates, and so students’ last day of school could be as late as December 23.
The term dates vary from council to council – you can use the government school checker to discover the dates for your school.
The Northern Irish government has not announced any plans to change the term dates, and so Northern Irish children’s last day at school will be December 23.
You may wish to visit the Department of Education website to check for any urgent or last-minute changes to the term dates.
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