The government's played down suggestions that mid-term breaks for schools could be extended as part of plans to contain the spread of Covid 19.
The idea of closing schools for two weeks over Halloween was briefly mentioned at a cabinet meeting this week.
But the Department of Education says no decision has been taken yet - and that many of the cases linked to schools so far have been picked up outside that setting.
In a statement, it has said that no decision has been made to extend the mid-term, and insists schools are low risk settings for the transmission of the virus.
Meanwhile, the National Parents Council says any extension to the break would be "very worrying" and "unsettling" for children.
