After a nightmare year of class bubbles, face masks and pupils undergoing Covid testing, when do schools in Norfolk break up for summer?

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When do the school summer holidays start?

Most schools in Norfolk will break up on Wednesday, July 21, two days earlier than most local authorities across England.

For pupils attending school in Waveney or elsewhere in Suffolk, it is even earlier with schools breaking up on Tuesday, July 20.

Pupil and staff isolation or staff shortages caused by positive coronavirus cases has forced some schools to close early.

When does the autumn term start?

Term dates differ by council and when children will return to classrooms or start school for the first time will differ in Norfolk and Suffolk.

In Norfolk pupils will be donning uniform and walking back through the school gates to start the autumn term on Monday, September 6.

For pupils in Waveney and Suffolk school the new term starts on Wednesday, September 1.

What will school look like when they return?

Schools have been disrupted by isolation bubbles all year, so many parents will be glad to know they’re being scrapped.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson confirmed last week that the school bubble system is being stopped.

Children will only have to self-isolate if they test positive for the virus, or are informed they are a close contact by NHS Test and Trace.

In addition to ending bubbles, it will "not be necessary to stagger start and finish times".

Face coverings will no longer be advised for pupils, students, staff and visitors either in classrooms or in communal areas, and social distancing will no longer be necessary.

From the start of the autumn term, secondary schools and colleges will also be asked to provide two on-site tests to their students at the start of the term, with regular home testing continuing until the end of September, when this will be reviewed.