Implement a two week school lockdown before 24 December to save Christmas
125,227 people signed this petition to the UK Parliament after it opened on 2 October 2020; it closed on 2 April 2021. The Government responded on 1 December 2020. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 7 December 2020.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Implement a two week school lockdown before 24 December to save Christmas
Schools should move to online learning from 9 December so that all students and school staff have a chance to isolate for two weeks and then can safely meet older relatives.
We need to be able to look forward to family celebrations at the end of a difficult year. There will be so many lonely grandparents if measures aren't taken to allow households to mix safely. There will be many very risky meetings which could lead to unnecessary pressure on the NHS.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 1 December 2020; the petitions site lists the Department for Education as responsible. Its summary:
As set out in the Government’s COVID-19 Winter Plan, schools should not close early or change their Christmas holidays. It remains a national priority to avoid further disruption to education.
The opening 327 words of the 616-word response:
It remains a national priority to keep schools open full time and avoid further disruption to education. As set out in the Government’s COVID-19 Winter Plan, nurseries, schools and colleges should not change their Christmas holidays or close early this term. Parents should continue to send their children to school during term time and students should continue to attend college right up until the end of term. A time-limited change to social restrictions over Christmas does not require any children to be taken out of school prematurely. The leaders and staff of education settings have been doing an extraordinary job to remain open, keep settings safe and provide education.
Returning to school full time has been vital for children’s education and for their wellbeing. Time out of school is detrimental for children’s cognitive and academic development, particularly for disadvantaged children. This impact can affect both current levels of education, children’s future ability to learn and preparation for those studying exams next summer.
School is the best place for children to learn, and it is important for their mental wellbeing to have social interactions with their peers, carers and teachers.
Schools have been open to all pupils since the start of the autumn term with figures showing, on average, 99% of schools are open each day.
The risk to children themselves of becoming severely ill from coronavirus (COVID-19) is low and there are negative health impacts of being out of school. Senior clinicians, including the Chief Medical Officers of all four nations, still advise that school is the very best place for children to be, We have taken a national decision to prioritise education during the current period of national restrictions in order to avoid any further reduction in face to face education for children and young people. This is the chance for them to catch-up on lost education through full time attendance at school, and pupils and teachers will still have a break over the festive period.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 1,594, came from Sittingbourne and Sheppey.
125,101 of the signatures were from the UK and 126 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Sittingbourne and Sheppey | 1,594 |
| Rochester and Strood | 984 |
| North Thanet | 891 |
| Gillingham and Rainham | 888 |
| Chatham and Aylesford | 872 |
| South Thanet | 779 |
| Dover | 746 |
| Gravesham | 746 |
| Bristol South | 674 |
| Maidstone and The Weald | 638 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| South East | 24,353 |
| West Midlands | 13,347 |
| North West | 11,869 |
| London | 10,773 |
| Scotland | 10,470 |
| East of England | 9,831 |
| South West | 9,470 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 9,227 |
| East Midlands | 7,515 |
| Wales | 6,704 |
| North East | 6,226 |
| Northern Ireland | 820 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 7 December 2020. Read the debate in Hansard.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/549015.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
18b0c715701a9410… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.