Talks held over extending Scottish Christmas holidays

As reported by BBC news, discussions have been taking place about whether the Christmas school holidays could be extended in Scotland

It has been suggested that the dates could be standardised across the country, with all schools closing on 18 December and reopening on 11 January. Holiday dates vary between different council areas, with most schools due to return between the 5 and 7 January.

The issue was discussed at the Scottish government’s education recovery group, but no decisions have yet been made. The group brings together a number of stakeholders in the education sector, including unions, councils and the government.

A document from Thursday’s meeting was leaked to the Daily Record newspaper. The memo says the government is considering a national extension to the holidays, with schools either remaining closed or introducing remote learning for a temporary period.

While many schools are already due to close on 18 December, some are set to remain open until 23 December. The dates for returning to school in January also vary. The memo says that extending the holidays would act as a break following the relaxation of rules over the festive period.

However, concerns are raised over the time needed to set up the remote learning, and the potential impact caused by the loss of emergency childcare which had previously been provided by school staff.