Day: December 14, 2020

Board games for the whole family this Christmas

Games have been on the rise this year, since families are spending more time at home. So what better gift to give this Christmas than games that can be enjoyed by everyone, of all ages.

Here are some brand new games that have launched just in time for Christmas …

PASS THE PUGS

The infamous game ‘Pass the Pigs’ launches PUGS! Who will be first to 100 points?

The infamous game Pass the Pigs has launched their first ever variation (that isn’t a pig), PUGS!

Be the first to get to 100 points by throwing the pugs in the air and seeing how they land. Will your pugs ‘play dead’, ‘faceplant’ or will it be ‘puppy love’?

  • Pass the Pigs has been an iconic brand for over 50 years
  • Includes pencil and score pad, that all pack into a plastic carry case, great for on-the-go!
  • Available on Amazon.co.uk / Age 8+ / RRP £9.99

Disney Lex-GO! Word Game

The Super-Fast Word Game from Waddingtons No.1 of London

Race against other players to get rid of your word tiles by swapping letters and even stealing your opponents’ tiles. Disney Classic version has 5 magic tiles that help you win the game.

MICKEY TILE – can be used as any letter in a word. GENIE TILE – your wish is granted! Take a total of 3 tiles from any other player. WRECK IT RALPH TILE – it’s time to wreck it! Shuffle another player’s words. OLAF TILE – Whoops! Olaf walked over your tiles and now they’re frozen in place for 10 secs! ARIEL TILE – Here’s one to add to your collection! You can take any tile another player if it completes a word for you.

  • Waddingtons No1 has been an iconic British Heritage Brand over 130 years
  • Game for all ages, but helps children with spelling and vocabulary
  • All tiles pack into a neat canvas pouch, great for storing and on-the-go.
  • Available on Amazon.co.uk / Age 8+ / RRP £14.99

THE ELF ON THE SHELF TOP TRUMPS

This beloved family tradition has captured the hearts of children everywhere, and now for the first time, you can embrace the magic of Scout Elves in this brand new collaboration with TOP TRUMPS!

The classic, competitive card game gets a festive touch in this officially-licensed pack, which includes thirty magic moments featuring your favourite Elves. Discover just how creative, cheeky, silly and festive these little Elves can be as you compete to take all of your opponents’ cards. Get into the Yuletide spirit with The Elf on the Shelf, and remember – he’s always listening!

  • Top Trumps is the UK’s #1 card game (iGen research)
  • Top Trumps is the game packed full of stats and facts on all your favourite topics including films, TV shows, animals and more! With hundreds of topics to chose from, there is a Top Trumps pack for everyone, no matter your age.
  • Over 100m packs sold across the world
  • Fun, but educational (camouflaged learning)
  • Includes 30 cards
  • Plastic case is great for storing and on-the-go
  • Available on Amazon.co.uk / Age 6+ / RRP £4.99

007 JAMES BOND TOP TRUMPS QUIZ

500 quiz questions on all James Bond films

Take a chance with 500 questions on all things James Bond, starting with the classic Dr. No and ending with the brand new 2020 release No Time To Die!

Think you can remember who sung the title song for Casino Royale, or which Dr. No character had webbed hands? Know who wrote the screenplay for You Only Live Twice, or the the name of the deadly warfare agent from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service?

  • 500 questions on 100 cards
  • Top Trumps Quiz with a twist! 500 questions on loads of different topics, films and TV shows.
  • Plastic case opens on both sides, ready for battle and also great for storing and on-the-go
  • Available on Amazon.co.uk / Age 12+ / RRP £9.99

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE TOP TRUMPS QUIZ

500 quiz questions on Marvel films

Take another trip aboard the helicarrier and test your knowledge of the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the dozens more characters that make up the massive Marvel Cinematic Universe in this special edition of Top Trumps Quiz – Marvel!

With 500 fiendish questions exploring memorable quotes and moments from one of the most successful film franchises in history, you won’t need a Time Stone to recap the events of Civil War, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Age of Ultron and the record-breaking Endgame in this comprehensive set.

  • 500 questions on 100 cards
  • Top Trumps Quiz with a twist! 500 questions on loads of different topics, films and TV shows.
  • Plastic case opens on both sides, ready for battle and also great for storing and on-the-go
  • Available on Amazon.co.uk / Age 12+ / RRP £9.99

Campaign to ban Disposable Face Masks launched

The UK will consume 19.2 billion single non-recyclable face masks in 2021. Most of these will be sent to landfill, the weight equivalent of 5 Eiffel Towers. Some will end up in watercourses causing an environmental nightmare. A new campaign has been launched in an attempt to reduce this number.

“It’s really important to consider the wider impact of single-use face masks as they can’t easily be recycled and end up in landfill, in rivers and the sea – that’s why we are supporting a new petition on the Government to ban their sale to the general public”, explains Charlotte Green from commercial recycling company TradeWaste.co.uk

It should be noted that the petition is specific in that it is not asking the Government to completely ban their sale, they have an important role in medical situations, and where use is controlled, they can be recycled – although this is not always easy.

What 19.2 billion single use face masks in numbers looks like:

  • 52,602,739 a day
  • 1,578,082,191 a month

“We are promoting the petition to raise awareness of the environmental problems created by single use face masks, and also to offer an alternative to those worried about the harm cause to wildlife and the impact on the environment in the UK”, explains Green.

The Petition will be discussed in Parliament when it reaches 100,000 signatures. The aim of the campaign is to hit this number before the end of 2020 in an attempt to slow down the consumption of disposable masks, and encourage washable alternatives.

A link to the Petition is available here:

https://www.tradewaste.co.uk/petition-ban-single-use-face-masks/

“We know the consequences of their use, and funnily enough the alternative is actually cheaper – we just need to get the word out that single use face masks just get buried in the ground and that isn’t acceptable!”, concludes Charlotte Green from commercial recycling company TradeWaste.co.uk

Ditch your Disposable Face Mask and save £190 in 2021

  • A single use disposable face mask costs 18p
  • Over a year using 3 per day this is £197.10
  • A washable face mask costs £1.40 (Pack of 5 is £6.99)
  • If you can use 5 masks by washing them, then over a year this is a saving of £190.11

Not Simply Red!

– Morrisons launches multi-coloured poinsettias for Christmas –

– The unique style isn’t available in any other supermarkets –

– Poinsettias are the birth flower for December and one of the most popular festive flower offerings due to their star-like leaves –

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Morrisons has added a festive multi-coloured poinsettia into its flower range this month. The striking and exciting new varieties are a mixture of Pink, White and Red and aren’t available on any other supermarket shelves. 

Poinsettias are symbolic with Christmas, featuring star-like leaves and a traditionally bright red colour that is symbolic of the festive season. In December 2019, Morrisons sold over 500,000 units of the traditional red variety and expects this to increase this year.

They are known for being incredibly photogenic due to their striking red foliage. In fact, the hashtag #poinsettias has over 335,000 posts on Instagram.

The Best Multi-Coloured Poinsettia is available in 350 Morrisons stores now and costs £8. Morrisons is also selling traditional Red Poinsettias for just £3. 

Rebecca Ruck, Horticultural Buyer at Morrisons says: “People are increasingly on the lookout for ways to make sure their festive displays and decorations stand out.

“The new The Best Poinsettias will ensure that customers can have brightly coloured and expressive displays, without breaking the bank.”

Buy now, Regret later?

Which? is calling for Buy Now, Pay Later firms like Klarna and Clearpay to be fully regulated to provide greater protection for consumers, as new research from the consumer champion finds concerning industry practices encourage people to spend more than they planned to.

The consumer champion’s findings show that these slickly designed, easy-to-access credit products are encouraging impulse buying, with nearly a quarter of BNPL users (24%) saying they spent more than they planned to because BNPL was available.

With one in ten (11%) BNPL users reporting that they have incurred late charges when paying this way, Which? is concerned about the dangers involved with this growing form of unsecured credit, particularly when the risks are not always made clear, and is calling for the financial regulator to be given new powers to fully regulate the BNPL industry to prevent consumers from being harmed.

The research suggests pushy marketing strategies, combined with sales features that make payment easier – such as ‘express checkout’ services on some retailers’ websites – could be driving people to overspend and leading to people falling into debt, a concern also shared by debt charities such as StepChange.

Which? also found that a quarter of BNPL users (26%) said they had not planned to use this type of payment option until it popped up at checkout, while two in ten (18%) said they used BNPL because they were offered a discount to do so.

One in ten (13%) also said they used it by accident because it was selected as the default payment option at checkout. One survey respondent said: “I was tricked into [using] it because the box was already ticked”.

BNPL firms also advertise heavily on their partners’ websites. Which? looked at 80 of these sites and found the largest BNPL ads take up as much as 80 per cent of the screen, with fashion retailers most likely to carry these prominent ads.

These factors are evidence of the firms’ application of consumer psychology to drive sales, a strategy one BNPL provider has promoted to its retail partners.

In 2017, Klarna, one of the leading BNPL firms in the UK, commissioned a study with the University of Reading into online shopping behaviour. The report, intended for partner retailers, explains how to design ‘customer journeys’ that will persuade people to make ‘emotional’ purchases instead of ‘logical’ ones.

However, as Which? research shows, these frictionless customer journeys can lead to shoppers spending more than they can afford, without necessarily being aware of the risks.

41 per cent of people in the Which? survey who were aware of BNPL either did not believe or did not know that missing a payment could lead to the BNPL firm passing your debt on to a debt collection agency.

As a result of its findings, Which? is now calling for providers of this type of BNPL service to be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

In its submission to the regulator, the consumer champion said that, while supportive of innovation, it believes that the BNPL market must have consumer protections in place in line with other regulated unsecured credit products.

Giving the FCA the powers to regulate the BNPL market would allow it to more effectively monitor how BNPL firms treat consumers, and if necessary, take action to prevent consumers from being harmed.

Jenny Ross, Which? Money Editor, said: “While Buy Now, Pay Later services offer speed and convenience at the checkout, our research shows their design makes it far too simple for shoppers to spend more than they were intending.

“This could lead to people building up debts that they may struggle to pay back, which is particularly concerning if they don’t understand the risks of using this type of product.

“Given that many people’s finances are stretched now more than ever, we believe that the FCA needs to regulate this market to ensure consumers are not harmed and that action can be taken if these firms are treating customers unfairly.”

A spokesperson for Klarna responded: “While we cannot speak for the sector as a whole, it is wholly incorrect to claim that Klarna uses ‘pushy marketing strategies’. All Klarna customers are provided with our terms and conditions, which clearly outline the potential consequences of non-payment.

“If a customer misses a payment, we will proactively contact them to remind them via text, email, in-app notifications and letters. Klarna will only refer unpaid debts to a debt collection agency as a last resort after a period of several months.

“Klarna is fully engaged with the FCA review of the unsecured credit market.”

BT: Scots pledge to support small businesses this Christmas

Shoppers keen to back their local high streets as they face the most turbulent winter in decades

  • 64 per cent of Scots agree[1] they are making more effort to support small businesses due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic
  • 70 per cent of Scots fear their local shops won’t survive the pandemic
  • 71 per cent of Scots are increasingly worried about the impact on their community if they lose local shops
  • 50 per cent of Scots agree the pandemic has made them reluctant to visit shops, stressing the need for small businesses to have an online presence

More than three in five people surveyed in Scotland are keen to support small businesses this Christmas – as they worry their local shops could go bust, according to new research conducted by BT in the run up to the festive period.

The poll of over 2,000 UK consumers found that 64 per cent of Scots agree they are making a conscious effort to help small businesses more because of the severe impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on trading over the past year.

The plight of local shops appears to be weighing heavily on the public conscience, as nearly two thirds of those polled in Scotland fear their local high street won’t survive the pandemic.

The poll found that 71 per cent of Scots are increasingly worried about the impact on their community if they lose local shops, with 64 per cent agreeing that their community depends on local businesses. Coupled with the recent collapse of major retail chains, it’s clear the public are concerned about the future of their local high-street.

The affection the public holds for small businesses is strongly reflected in the survey results, with 62 per cent of respondents in Scotland saying that small businesses play a key role in supporting local people; 51 per cent recognising the importance of small businesses in sustaining the economy; and 52 per cent pledging that small businesses provide vital employment.

Fears of contracting Covid-19 appear to remain post the most recent lockdowns across the UK, with 50 per cent of people in Scotland stating the pandemic has made them reluctant to visit shops. This reinforces the need for small businesses to have a strong online presence to help them survive the disruption of the pandemic.

Alan Lees, Director of BT’s Enterprise business in Scotland, said: “Small businesses have undoubtedly been amongst the hardest hit by the pandemic, with national and local lockdowns severely impacting their ability to trade.

“It’s really heartening to see that communities across the Scotland are coming out in force to support their local high street this Christmas, as these firms rely heavily on the festive period to generate the lion’s share of their profits.

“The fact that consumers want to engage with small businesses, particularly online, but sometimes face barriers in doing so, means that it is absolutely vital for them to adapt by moving online or risk being left behind. That’s why we launched our Small Business Support Scheme – to boost the connectivity, cashflow and confidence of small businesses through faster broadband, digital payments and digital skills, amongst other forms of assistance.”

In addition, the survey has also revealed that small businesses are facing increasing competition from bigger online retailers who are able to offer lower prices and faster delivery. 

According to the survey, top reasons holding people back from supporting small businesses include; the price compared with other retailers – with 41 per cent of Scots citing it as a barrier; a limited product selection, with nearly a third of Scots saying it was a concern; while no website presence was cited as a key concern by 17 per cent of respondents in Scotland.

Other concerns include slow delivery, a lack of social media presence and data security issues.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1337006754421501952

BT’s Small Business Support Scheme  consists of a series of measures to help boost the connectivity, cashflow and confidence of small businesses and help them get poised for growth.

Helping small businesses to boost their digital skills is a central part of the scheme, with BT pledging to help one million small businesses to boost their digital skills over the next five years through BT’s Skills for Tomorrow programme.

Alongside this, a dedicated mentoring programme for small businesses via Digital Boost will launch early next year, giving small businesses free access to BT’s expertise in strategy, marketing, and sales. Next year will also see the launch of a new digital marketing hub from BT to help small businesses to better promote their business online.

Other forms of support on offer via the scheme and which are available now include:  a bursary scheme for start-ups; a new digital payments solution; and a wellbeing toolkit for small businesses.

New Filmhouse: Planning Application submitted

Following an extensive and successful public consultation process which ran for 4 months following its launch in March 2020, Centre for the Moving Image (CMI) has submitted the full Planning Application for the proposed New Filmhouse in Festival Square to the city council’s planning department.

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Democracy: A House of Citizens?

The Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland is now coming to a close. Made up of 100 people like you, selected to be a cross section of Scottish society, they came together to address what kind of country we are seeking to build in the 21st century (writes WILLIE SULLIVAN, Director of ERS Scotland). 

Citizens’ assemblies like these have been used around the world to find solutions to complex problems and hold politicians to account. Scotland’s success depends upon the power of people working together to tackle the real challenges, and one of the things the Assembly was nearly unanimous on was the success of the citizens’ assembly format.

Over 80% of the Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland backed the idea that “In order to overcome the challenges in relation to citizens’ engagement in decision-making, the Scottish Government and Parliament should set up a ‘house of citizens’ to scrutinise government proposals and give assent to parliamentary bills.“

Along with the Sortition Foundation, Common Weal and the RSA, we’ve put together a proposal for how a House of Citizens’ could work. 

Sign our petition to create a House of Citizens

When the Scottish Parliament was set up, the designers were right not to mirror Westminster’s broken set up – with a House of Lords packed full of party donors and political cronies.

We knew we could do better than that. Two decades later, assemblies from around the world have shown the success of citizens’ direct involvement. Momentum is growing – sign this petition and help us push the campaign to the next level.

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Best wishes,

WILLIE SULLIVAN,

Director, Electoral Reform Society Scotland

Edinburgh Ignite Fellowship awardees announced

Scottish Book Trust has announced the third Ignite Fellowship awardees.

The Fellowship supports established writers who are embarking on a significant project. This year, the panel selected poet and performer Courtney Stoddart and artist and filmmaker Raman Mundair. Poet and translator Niall O’Gallagher has been selected as the Gaelic Ignite Fellowship awardee, funded by the Gaelic Books Council.

The Ignite Fellows will receive a £2000 bursary and tailored creative support to suit their individual projects. The fellowship will run for one year, from December 2020 to December 2021.

Courtney Stoddart, from Edinburgh, is a Scottish-Caribbean performer whose work focuses racism, womanhood and growing up in Scotland.

She has featured in various theatrical productions, including Hannah Lavery’s Lament For Sheku Bayoh at the Lyceum Theatre. Courtney recently featured at the Edinburgh International Book Festival and appeared on Damian Barr’s The Big Scottish Book Club.

During her Ignite Fellowship, Courtney will work on her first poetry pamphlet featuring themes of race, identity and the ramifications of colonialism and imperialism.

Courtney Stoddart said: “I am absolutely delighted to have been selected for this year’s Ignite fellowship. I am incredibly thankful to Scottish Book Trust for this opportunity and can’t wait to get started on my project.”

Raman Mundair is an Indian born writer who is based in Shetland and Glasgow. She is an award-winning author and was longlisted for the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative Award and is a winner of the Robert Louis Stevenson Award and a Leverhulme Fellowship.

Raman has published poetry, fiction, drama and non-fiction and has performed and exhibited her artwork around the world from Aberdeen to Zimbabwe. She is currently a dramaturg and mentor for Scottish Youth Theatre on the Stories 2020 project. Raman will use the fellowship to bring her work into focus with the help of her mentor.

Raman Mundair said: “I am delighted to be offered this opportunity and look forward to possibilities that it will open for me and chance to amplify my voice and work as a hitherto overlooked writer, artist and director.”

Niall O’Gallagher, based in Glasgow, is the author of three books of poetry in Gaelic and was the recipient of a New Writers Award from the Scottish Book Trust ten years ago.

In 2019 Niall was named Bàrd Baile Ghlaschu, the City of Glasgow’s first Gaelic Poet Laureate. In 2020 he won the Gaelic prize in the Wigtown Poetry Competition for his poem ‘Penelope’.

During his fellowship, Niall will be working on his fourth book, a verse-novella called Litreachan Plàighe (Plague Letters), told through a series of letters between characters who find themselves separated from one another.

Niall O’Gallagher said: “I’m delighted. The New Writers Award I received from Scottish Book Trust and Gaelic Books Council in 2010 really helped me take my poetry from my notebook into print.

“I’m excited to work with them again as I develop my work further.”

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “The Ignite Fellowship is important as it helps to give already established artists a boost in their career.

“In what has been a challenging year, we hope this award will provide inspiration and support, and we look forward to seeing the new projects from the writers.”

Blood donor criteria updated

Changes to the questions asked of blood donors will ensure more gay and bisexual men are able to donate blood in the future.

Currently, men are not able to donate blood in the UK if they have had sex with another man in the past three months, in line with previous expert advice.

New recommendations, which the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) is satisfied will continue to ensure blood safety, mean men will no longer be automatically barred from giving blood if they have had sex with another man in the last three months. Instead, everyone will be given a more individual risk assessment, which will involve all potential donors being asked a few additional questions about their sexual behaviours.  

Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) will ensure there is information available for donors to explain the reasons for the changes and to give reassurance that all information provided by donors is kept strictly in confidence. 

The changes follow recommendations by the specialist steering group for Assessment of Individualised Risk (FAIR) made up of leading medical and academic experts and LGBTI+ groups.  

Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick said: “I welcome the recommendations of the FAIR group, which will enable a more individualised risk assessment approach to blood donor safety checks while continuing to ensure the safe supply of blood to patients.

“We are committed to equality and inclusion, and these changes will ensure a fairer and more up to date assessment of risk is applied to both men and women to identify whether donors may be at risk of a blood-borne virus infection.

“I am pleased to announce SNBTS expects to be able to implement these changes by summer 2021. They will be working to prepare their systems and staff for these changes and will also be working to raise awareness of the changes with existing and potential donors in advance.”

SNBTS Director Craig Spalding said: “We are proud to have been involved in the work that has been undertaken to enable the Scottish Government to make an informed decision on reviewing and changing donor eligibility requirements.

“Donor eligibility based on personal risk assessments, rather than on broader demographic information such as sexuality, is a welcome change.

“We are grateful for all the donors of Scotland and are looking forward to welcoming a broader cross section of the population, in particular those men who have sex with men who will be able to donate blood under the new criteria.”

More information about the FAIR Report will be made available on the NHS Blood and Transplant website.

Teachers edge towards industrial action over COVID-19 safety

Teachers’ union the EIS has announced that an increasing number of its local associations are now moving towards balloting members on disputes with local authorities over school COVID-19 safety.

At present, six EIS local associations are moving to ballot members with at least four others currently considering whether to take this step towards a formal dispute with employers.

The EIS had called for a move to teaching and learning via remote online platforms for the pre and post-Christmas period, in the interests of minimising infection risk and protecting the health and wellbeing of students, teachers and their families over the festive season.

Despite broad support from many parents, teachers and others this call was flatly rejected by the Scottish Government, which has pledged to keep school buildings open at all costs right up to Christmas.

Following this rejection by the Scottish Government, EIS local associations called on local authorities to utilise their devolved powers to move to remote learning platforms around the festive season.

Subsequently, these pleas have been rejected by local authorities, with many councils citing a recent letter from the Scottish Government which urged them not to utilise their devolved authority to move schools to remote learning.

Yesterday, the EIS also released its latest themed briefing, based on teacher comments in a recent national survey. The briefing highlights teachers’ views on the importance of moving to remote learning around the festive period, as a means to protect staff, students and their families.

The key issues highlighted include:

  • Teachers believe that moving to blended or remote learning would help reduce infection spread in the new year
  • Teachers are concerned about being able to safely mix with family during the holidays, without having the ability to isolate for 5 days beforehand
  • There are concerns that with schools remaining open full time, right up until the 23rd December in some areas, many school staff will have to work over the Christmas period to ensure the track and trace policies are enacted – a fact that was confirmed by the National Clinical Director earlier this week.
  • A small adjustment in the final few days of term would make an immeasurable difference to staff and pupil wellbeing.

EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said, “The Scottish Government and local authorities seem determined to keep schools physically open, at all costs, right up to Christmas.

“Scotland’s teachers are clear that this will present a very real risk to their health, their pupils’ health and the health of their families by increasing the risk of COVID-19 spreading through family festive gatherings. Making a very slight change to arrangements around the holiday period, by allowing teachers and students to work remotely from home for a few days, would significantly reduce the risk of pupils or staff taking the virus into their family groups in the festive period.”

Mr Flanagan continued: “It was extremely disappointing when the Scottish Government rejected calls from teachers, and many parents, for schools to move to remote learning to protect families over the festive season. It is quite incredible that the Scottish Government has then placed pressure on local authorities not to use their devolved authority over education to move schools to remote learning in the run up to Christmas.”

Mr Flanagan added: “The number of EIS local associations moving to consultative ballots, together with the number still considering this action, is a clear indicator of the strength of feeling amongst teachers.

“Scotland’s teachers see governments in other countries increasingly taking steps to close school buildings early and move to remote learning in order to protect families over Christmas – this raises the question of why the Scottish Government apparently values its teachers less than governments in England, or Wales, or Sweden or Germany value theirs.”

The briefing paper, published on Sunday, focuses on teacher comments on the value of moving to blended or remote learning.

One teacher said, “It was with disappointment that I heard that the Scottish Government chose not to allow schools to move to a blended model for the 21st and 22nd December and while I welcomed the relaxing of lockdown tiers over the Christmas period, in reality, for me this won’t change the fact that I shouldn’t visit with my 80 year-old mum and other family members who are in the vulnerable category for fear of taking the contacts of the many pupils I work with on a daily basis to them.”

Another teacher said: “I am physically and mentally exhausted at the moment and am looking forward to Christmas as a time to relax a little and recover from the stress. I am now faced with the choice, however, of seeing my family at Christmas and risking the possibility of carrying infection to them or of isolating and not seeing them. Every day I am sitting in a room with 31 upper school children and whilst measures are in place, they are at times impossible to maintain. Should I carry the virus to anyone let alone my elderly in-laws I would never be able to live with myself.”

Another teacher added: “Going to blended learning on the 18th would not have a massive impact on the education of the children … but it would have a huge impact on the mental wellbeing of staff who would be able to isolate, and then confidently visit with their bubble at some point over the holiday period.

“It would also be considered a gesture of goodwill in a season where it is supposed to be at its most prominent.”

The EIS is continuing to urge its members to share their experiences of working in schools during the pandemic and their views on keeping school buildings open around the festive period using the hashtag #NotAtAllCosts, tagging the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister in their posts.

Recently, the EIS also wrote to all Directors of Education and the Deputy First Minister, calling for an urgent rethink on their refusal to move to remote learning around the Christmas holiday period.

The letters highlight the health & safety implications of the decision and note that governments in other countries are increasingly taking the decision to close their school buildings early ahead of Christmas to protect students, staff and their families.

For further information on the EIS #NotAtAllCosts campaign, visit https://www.eis.org.uk/Coronavirus/NotAtAllCosts