To ask the Minister of Education to detail his plans for keeping schools open during the February half-term for the children of key workers, given that the usual childcare options, such as grandparents, relatives and childcare providers will be unavailable for many.

My Department wrote to schools on 5 February to advise them that following consultation with the Department for Health, it is the Department’s expectation that all schools will take their scheduled holidays over the February mid-term and Easter breaks, when parents would be expected to have made their normal arrangements for childcare.

Resumption of the arrangements for key worker and vulnerable children will continue once the February mid-term holidays are over until March 5th, and will be reviewed as part of the wider consideration of restrictions by the Executive.

Special schools and EOTAS Centres will continue following the planned breaks as normal for face-to face teaching for the remainder of the school year or until their planned summer holiday period.