Loyalists linked to the Holy Cross school dispute in north Belfast have called a temporary halt to protests as Catholic children sit their 11-plus exam today.
For the first time since the crisis began 10 weeks ago, demonstrators opposed to parents and pupils walking through their Glenbryn estate will not picket during the school run.
Loyalists had planned to stay off the streets just this morning in a gesture to nationalists taking their children to sit the crucial transfer test.
But after the Concerned Residents of Upper Ardoyne met last night it was decided to suspend the protests for the whole day.
Northern Ireland Police Service Assistant chief constable Alan McQuillan said: "We obviously welcome that decision and in the interests of all those concerned, especially the children, we again call on the local political and community leaders to help resolve these problems".
The move comes at the end of a week that saw the angry mother of one Holy Cross girl begin legal action against Northern Ireland Secretary of State Mr John Reid and the police.
The unnamed parent claimed her daughter was being exposed to danger because officers had failed to arrest protesters breaking the law and allowed them to get within touching distance of the children.
PA