Council cuts school summer holidays to five weeks

This council is the first in England to do so

Barnsley Council in South Yorkshire have brought in changes which will begin in the 2017/18 academic year.

The pupils and teachers will now have four weeks and four days off in the summer –  which is nine days less than the previous year.

This will give them an extra one week holiday in October.

However, headteachers have reacted angrily to the move, claiming they have not been consulted.

Nick Bowen, headteacher of Horizon community college, said: ‘The overhaul would have a severe impact on schools’ ability to recruit high-quality staff. There is also the fact that most of the academies in the area probably won’t come on board with it so everyone will have different holidays. And it will be a disaster in terms of attendance because parents who have multiple children will have to take other siblings out of school if the holidays don’t match.”

The council said the dates had economic benefits for working parents and had been received positively.

Cllr Tim Cheetham  said:”The decision to alter the borough’s term times and holiday dates is based on sound research evidence that shows the maximum length of the summer break should be no more than five weeks for the best educational outcomes,”

What do you think of this move?