Christmas holidays | Schools Week

Schools scramble to sort inset days after 11th-hour Christmas edict

Schools are scrambling to reorganise their end of term plans after a last-ditch announcement by the government to ensure contract tracing can stop before Christmas Eve. Childcare concerns have also been raised after the Department for Education gave schools less than two weeks’ notice about running inset days on December 18. Although not statutory, I […]

DfE finally reveals Christmas contact-tracing rules

Schools will be asked to remain “on call” for the first six days of the Christmas holidays to help with contact tracing, but it will be up to them to decide the hours they’ll be contactable. The Department for Education has confirmed arrangements for the end of term after schools minister Nick Gibb said today […]

Schools can take inset day on Dec 18 so contact tracing stops by Christmas Eve

Schools will be allowed to designate December 18 as an inset day to enable staff involved in track and trace to have a “proper break” from Christmas Eve, the schools minister has said. Nick Gibb told the Parliamentary education committee this morning that the Department for Education wanted there to be a “clear six days” […]