Holbrook Academy will close away early for its Christmas break, as schools in other parts of the country are today being threatened with legal action if they see pupils home before the end of term.

Headteacher Tom Maltby wrote to parents explaining the school would use an extra personal development (PD) day to enable the academy to close this Thursday, rather than Friday.

There has been no indication that the academy will change its new term start date from January 4, and students are expected to return on that Monday after the festive break.

Holbrook academy reported a pupil and rested positive for Covid last month who stayed home to isolate, but have not reported any other cases since.

The school has closed its leisure centre to the public and is using the playing fields as part of its social distancing measures.

Meanwhile, schools in Greenwich, which will move into Tier three at midnight, are challenging the government over closing their doors and allowing pupils to be sent home for remote learning.

Meanwhile, Suffolk is expected to remain in Tier Two, when a review is completed tomorrow (Wednesday) despite Babergh's confirmed Covid cases dropping for another week.

While Babergh, which includes the Shotley peninsula, continues to have relatively low figures, positive cases in Ipswich and East Suffolk have risen dramatically and that is expected to mean we will not drop down to Tier one.

It is possible Health Secretary Matt Hancock may divide parts of Suffolk into different tiers as we have seen in Essex.

The areas of neighbouring Tendring and Colchester have escaped being placed into Tier Three, along with the rest of Essex, after spikes in the south and the west of the county.