Parents should not take their children out of school before term ends, Downing Street has said. The UK Prime Minister’s official spokesman said it is “important” that schools and parents “don’t take precautionary steps to deprive their children of education”. The plea comes amid reports that parents are choosing to keep their children out of class ahead of Christmas due to concerns about the Omicron variant. Some schools and colleges have switched to remote lessons this week in the run-up to the festive break. Responding to suggestions that some parents are keeping their children at home to avoid the prospect of anyone catching COVID-19 and being forced to isolate over the Christmas period, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The best place for children—who have in many respects suffered the most through this pandemic—is in school, receiving vital face-to-face education.” Government figures suggest 2.9 percent of all pupils—nearly 236,000 children—were …