Several schools in the Braintree and Bocking area are hoping to prevent travelling parents from getting caught up in the congestion during Keith Flint’s funeral procession.

John Bunyan Junior School is allowing parents on the school run to pick up their children before their normal closing time and St Francis Catholic Primary School, which also won’t be officially closing earlier, will follow suit in giving parents the option to collect their children any time after 1:30pm.

The primary school’s headteacher, Mrs Vicky Jackson, said: ‘‘Braintree will be very busy, of course, and we are in the centre of it.

"But our staff are very committed to the school and providing support to the children and the families who perhaps are unable to collect their children earlier or get stuck in traffic.

"Our staff therefore understands they may have to also stay behind later than normal.’’

The College at Braintree, which the funeral procession will travel past, won’t be shutting prior to its usual 4.30pm closing time, but students will be advised to not attempt to enter or leave the college during the 30-minute procession.

Bocking Church Street Community Primary School, which is located just 300 metres from St Mary’s Church, and the Edith Borthwick School will both close at 2pm.

Alec Hunter pre-school, near Coggeshall Road, currently has no plans to deviate from its 9am to 3.30pm schedule.