After the announcement that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral is to be declared a bank holiday when it is held at Westminster Abbey on Monday 19th September, parents may need to find arrangements for their children with schools set to shut.
Whilst it has not been officially confirmed, it is expected that this bank holiday – like all the others – will see schools, colleges and academies up and down the country close.
The Department of Education (DfE) originally told schools that they should remain open as normal during the period of national mourning.
It told headteachers:
“Schools and further education settings should remain open.
“While normal attendance is expected, headteachers continue to have the power to authorise leaves of absence for pupils in exceptional circumstances.”
There are usually 8 annual bank holidays for workers in England and Wales, while those in Scotland normally get 9 or 10 – depending on the timing of New Year and patron saint days.
We have already seen 1 extra bank holiday this year however with an additional day added on 3rd June this year to mark Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee.
The state funeral for Her Majesty is set to begin at 11:00 – right in the middle of the traditional school day – so the impending decision to announce their closure on this one-off day seems inevitable.
Parents and carers who work in certain sectors can also probably expect to have the day off too, whilst others in sectors like retail face an agonising decision from their bosses as to whether they will follow suit.
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