Schools in Nottinghamshire could have shorter summer holidays

CREDIT: This story was first seen in The Nottingham Post
Schools in Nottinghamshire could have shorter summer holidays which would see the county’s term times brought in line with those in the city, The Nottingham Post reports.
Nottinghamshire County Council is undertaking a wide consultation to see what parents and teachers think about the possible changes, which would see an extra week added to the October half term.
The new school term and holiday dates would be implemented for the academic years 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23.
The two options being considered are keeping the current model, which includes six weeks for the summer holidays or having a slightly shorter five-week summer holiday and a two-week October half term break.
There would also be a fixed spring break, generally the first two weeks in April.
Dates for the 2018/19 academic year have already been set so will not be affected by the outcome of the consultation.
Councillor Philip Owen, the county council’s children and young people’s committee chairman, said: “We want to hear the views of as many people as possible so that they have an opportunity to give their opinion and ensure the best possible educational outcome is achieved.
“We have a duty to look at school holiday and term time dates for local authority maintained schools every three years, so it is vital that pupils, parents, teachers, school governors and other interested parties play a role in determining the outcome going forward.”
The consultation runs until 5pm on October 8.
Following the consultation period, an analysis of the results will take place and recommendations of the preferred option will be presented for consideration at the Children and Young People’s Committee on November 20.
ane Crich, secretary of the Nottinghamshire National Union of Teachers , added: “I don’t know what academic evidence the county council has that the model provides better results. Where is the evidence that this model is improving progress?
“If you are a teacher in the county but your child is at school in the city then that can affect holidays and at the moment they do not synchronise and vice versa, so the consultation will be interesting.”
The city council current model sees three terms but with a shorter summer break and a longer two-week holiday in October.
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or connect with us on LinkedIn!