Are schools legally obliged to provide a certain number of days of education per year?

[tricot39]

that is it really - and where can I find out more about what should be legally provided? Thanks

[maddy68]

State schools have to provide 195 days. Private schools don't have a limit

[Pipbin]

No, state schools have to provide 190 days. The 195 are the days that teachers are required to be in.

[CharleyDavidson]

Yes.
Teachers are employed to teach 195 days, of which 5 are training days and the children aren't in. So 190 in state schools.

[maddy68]

Sorry yes. 195 days for teachers. 190 for children. :)

[AbeSaidYes]

Oh, this is interesting. My son's school is brand new and unlike a lot of schools here they are not opening until 7th. Teachers will be in the week before. Does that mean we won't have as many inset days?

[RainbowFlutterby]

My DS doesn't go back 'til the 7th. 2nd, 3rd & 4th are Inset Days. He'll only have 2 more throughout the rest of the year.

[LibrariesGaveUsP0wer]

They can also have enforced closures - which come off the total. So eg if you had two snow days you might get 188 days of them in school.

[ravenAK]

190 days.

Most schools then have 5 INSET days for teachers, who are contracted/paid for 195 days, although for 'convenience' some disaggregate one or two INSET days & do endless twilight sessions to make up the hours!

But yes, unless it's some weird new form of free school that can do what the chuff it likes, which frankly wouldn't surprise me, schools have to be open to kids 190 days.

[Fairenuff]

Why do you ask OP?

[CharleyDavidson]

Our county tells us that if there are snow days then we won't get the training days later in the year to make up for the days the children missed. It's not happened yet though.

My school twilight the last training day as it's always the first Monday of the summer hols. I wish they didn't as I'm always in then anyway doing things in my classroom.

This year is different though. I've not been in once as there's a programme of building work and renovations there. Toilets/playgrounds renovated and replaced and an extension. As a result of the builders needing a bit more time without children on the premises, we have been granted a special concession of 2 extra training days.

[LibrariesGaveUsP0wer]

Charley- how on earth can they do that. It's not like you got the training on the snow day?

[louisejxxx]

Not necessarily AbeSaidYes - term dates can differ widely across the country....when it comes around to summer you may find that your school finishes later in July than others.

My ds doesn't go back until 8th sept, with the teachers going back for a training day on 7th.

[PicInAttic]

Sometimes new schools, those moving site or those having 'significant refurbishment' can have up to 2 weeks additional closure time due to the work.
Never happened in any school I've worked in so not sure what definition of significant is but did happen with couple of local schools for one week. All staff were in school painting, shifting furniture, setting up rooms etc but not sure whether it came off of the 190 days or the 5 Inset. Both were local authority controlled state schools.

[EdithWeston]

Royal Weddings (and presumably any other national holiday coming up at short-ish notice) are an extra day schools close too.

The 190/195 applies to state schools, not private ones who can set their own. I've got a feeling there's a number of days considered to be a minimum (and it's less than 190, but I can't remember what it is).

[TeenAndTween]

Pic DD's school relocated and had an extra 3 or 5 days off one year for the move.

[Smartiepants79]

Brand new schools just opening this term might have got a little bit of leeway due to construction issue or similar.
Or you might find they make it up at the end of the year.

[TalkinPeace]

190 days : and its been that since just after WW2
it does apply to private schools because its in fact the number of teaching hours : longer days = shorter terms

and that is standard to classify as a school

interestingly the number of teaching hours in a school year is remarkably consistent around the world
I looked it up after holidaying somewhere that the school day started early and finished early so the schools did not need aircon

[tricot39]

Ooh thanks for all of the replies! I checked on our LA website and it too says 190 days statutory minimum plus max 5 inset days. Where is this statutory minimum set out? The education act?

I ask because of building works etc I reckon that over 2 years we have lost maybe 15 days of teaching time. I have no intention of causing any trouble but when I heard about parents getting penalty notices for unauthorised absences it piqued my interest!

[Fairenuff]

The difference with school closing for building works is that there is no teaching going on so your dcs aren't missing anything.

If you take them out for a holiday when everyone else is in school, they miss whole chunks which then have to be caught up with somehow.

It's a staffing nightmare trying to do that which is why LEAs discourage it.

[Hulababy]

Forced closures due to building works are something the school usually has no say over. Wherever possible they take place in school holidays, but this isn't always possible. Sometimes, if possible and safe for staff, they may move INSET days to these closure dates but again it isn't always possible.

These closures should not be regular though. They would come under the heading exceptional or emergency closures.

[tricot39]

I completely understand that argument but that doesn't stack up if the rest of the country is getting their 190 days. If children miss a day of school there is a great deal made of the loss to their education. There is also a loss of the school is shut!

The legal basis for attendance is well documented. I just haven't seen the corresponding legal info for school provision of education. I would expect that if the LA can issue penalty notices for absenteeism then technically notices should be possible to the LA if they fail to provide the statutory days....

Help me win an argument with my DH please ;)

[Fairenuff]

I don't think it's comparable because essebtial building works have to take place and emergency building works may have to place during term time.

Term time holidays are not essential.

[tricot39]

The building works were planned and not emergency. The school was closed in term time for staff to clear rooms. The timing was such that this could have been done in the holidays either by paying teachers overtime or by employing professional movers to avoid disadvantaging the children.

Aside from all of that detail, I am more interested in the principles of statutory provision. You may be right that the school can close for various reasons but I would really like to see the guidance documents where this is set out. Any ideas about where to look?

[TalkinPeace]

tricot
Several years ago, DCs school had a fire in one building that shut the whole school for a term
BUT
making use of email and early web and the sports hall and the jungle drums
they kept the place running and the GCSE results held up
it was an utter PITA for parents
but no way would we have expected the days to be made up in a normal way

there is teaching and there is teaching

[CharleyDavidson]

Sadly, there's no provision in the teachers pay and conditions or how the staffing is set up to be able to pay state teachers overtime.

Staff shouldn't have had to clear their rooms, it's not like it falls anywhere in their job description. I've clearned and cleaned and moved rooms in my school a couple of times and spent a long time on it, but really it shouldn't have been my job. (Too keen to think about it then!)

It's sadly a fact that its more likely that the county will give permission to close for a day or two rather than fork out more for any movers etc.



Out two days were granted begrudglingly, mostly to ensure that the builders can have a full clear week with no children on site as they have completely taken over at present.