Leeds school holidays 2021: Dates for holidays and term times in Leeds for 2021 as schools return from lockdown on Monday

Downing Street has said children at primary school should not be made to wear face coverings after learning a council was encouraging their use when pupils return to the classroom.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said that officials had been in contact with Redbridge Council in east London after it told primary schools under its control that pupils should be advised to wear masks.

The council’s Labour leader Jas Athwal said “in some cases” the authority had gone beyond the official advice.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Children in primary schools should not be asked to wear face coverings when they return to school on March 8.

“Face coverings are only necessary for pupils in year seven and above.”

When are half-term and school holiday dates in Leeds?

February half-term in Leeds is between Monday 15 and Friday 19.

Here are the school holiday and term dates in Leeds for the rest of the year:

Spring term (second half): Monday 22 February - Thursday 1 April

Easter holiday: Friday 2 April - Friday 16 April

Summer term (first half): Monday 19 April - Friday 28 May

May half term: Monday 31 May - Friday 4 June

Summer term (second half): Monday 7 June - Tuesday 27 July

Summer holidays: Wednesday 28 July - Friday 3 September

​What are the rules for universities in Leeds?

University students will not be allowed to return to their institutions in Leeds during the lockdown.

Lessons will remain online until mid-February for all except future critical worker courses, the Government has confirmed.

Will exams go ahead?

Mr Johnson said the move on schools means “it’s not possible or fair for all exams to go ahead this summer, as normal”.

He said Education Secretary Gavin Williamson will work with regulator Ofqual to put in place “alternative arrangements”.

The PM added: “We will provide extra support to ensure that pupils entitled to free school meals will continue to receive them while schools are closed, and we will distribute more devices to support remote education.”

Will there be any changes to how schools operate?

Last week, schools minister Nick Gibb confirmed that face coverings in secondary schools in England will not be compulsory when pupils return to class on March 8, but he said they were “highly recommended”.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), told MPs that it would be “much easier” if Government guidance on face coverings in secondary schools was “black and white”.

He said: “If it is so significant that masks should be being worn, can we have that really clearly? Because it makes it much easier to say to a parent: ‘I’m sorry, that is part of the expectation just like wearing a school uniform, doing your homework and all the other stuff. This is more important than that and therefore you need to be wearing it.’ I think we need a clearer steer on that.”

Mr Barton added that heads could “do without” disputes about face masks.

Addressing the education select committee on Tuesday, he said: “I’m hoping that people won’t get into disputes that lead to young people having to be excluded from school because they’re not prepared to wear a face mask.

“I really hope we don’t have to do that and instead we have a sense that: ‘When I wear a face mask I’m not doing it for my self interest, I’m doing it as an act of altruism. I’m demonstrating as part of a community that we are looking after each other.’

“And what I’m picking up from members – for all the frustration with a small group of parents they’re having – generally, people are proceeding with that kind of spirit of social generosity.”