Following public health advice, Christmas and New Year school holiday dates will remain as planned - in a move which local MSP Kenneth Gibson helped rubber stamp.

The timing of school holidays, which vary around Scotland, had been raised with Ministers in the Education Recovery Group, given many schools break up very close to Christmas and the potential for increased social interaction in households following the limited relaxation of rules between 23 and 27 December.

Kenneth Gibson MSP, who sits on the Scottish Parliament’s Education and Skills Committee, said: “I welcome this early and decisive announcement, which provides parents and carers across Scotland with the necessary reassurances for the weeks ahead“Of course it will not be a regular Christmas and I urge everyone to keep each other safe

“As someone who advocated for schools to reopen earlier on, I believe the right approach is being taken for the right reasons.”