To think that this makes no sense at all and completely defeats the point of it?

I’d 100% talk to ACAS.

Flexible working requests should be based on personal circumstances . Your personal circumstances require you to have time off when your children are home. It makes no sense to have these requests when your kids aren’t home.
It feels like they are trying to make it difficult for you. Do you think they are trying to make you out?

@saraclara and @cowandplough, you ask "Did they know/did you inform them your school holidays differed from the norm".

I have to ask - did either of you read all the OP's posts, or just the first one? Because had you done so, you wouldn't have had to ask a question she answered two days ago (25/01/2026 13:52).

It's really easy to check if the thread has moved on before responding, just click on the 'See all' in the bottom right corner of any of OP's posts.

You beat me to it. I was going to ask the same.

Did they know/did you inform them your school holidays differed from the norm.

Sorry, I haven't read the whole thread but I would just put in a parental leave request for the overlapping weeks where you aren't officially off. That will solve your issue and show how stupid they are being.

I think the first question I’d have is if there are therefore 3.5 weeks you’d be off work and the kids would be at school. The independent schools near me have longer school days and longer holidays so a term time contract would be quite different depending on which.

Very weird. You'd think it would help them out to accommodate you as many other parents will be wanting time off in the LA school holidays.

Isn't it a bit better than not having term time agreement at least you will get more time off than you would. It's a shame but the company are meeting you part of the way

Well done OP. I hope ACAS were helpful.

I’d submit a formal grievance based on indirect disability discrimination

Can you look up the difference in the holidays and point out dates you'll be at home when the kids are at school and vice versa. Sometimes seeing it in visually makes it more understandable.

It doesn't make sense if your off due to la term dates but your kids are at school.

This is definitely one of those make it make sense scenarios.

Is the school aligned with their LA? So there is an easy reference point for them to check the dates (I.e. the LA website). It does seem petty that they won't align with that.

I am based in N Wales right next to the English border. I didn't look for teaching jobs over the border because of the holidays. In a typical year ...

• October half term is often different.(5)
• Christmas usually aligns - although there may be a few days either side that don't.(3)
• February half term is often different.(5)
• Easter neighbouring LA takes 1st 2 weeks of April, Wales always takes the week leading up to and following Easter weekend. (5)
• Whit half term aligns (0)
• Summer holiday often starts later in neighbouring LA as the Easter holidays are longer when the Easter Bank Holidays are not in the 1st 2 weeks of April (2).

So in an average year, there are still 20 days different holidays. In OPs case, she would be at home, unpaid without DC for 20 days, while having 20 days childcare to find.

Hi OP,
I agree with some other suggestions that you could ask the company to make a "reasonable adjustment" to their usual policy under the Disability Discrimination Act based on the fact that you have two children with a disability (EHCPs) and it is more difficult to get childcare for them due to their needs and high ratio of adults needed. You can assure them that the term dates can be given in advance.

Another possibility is requesting parental leave.
https://www.gov.uk/parental-leave/entitlement

I would 100% ask for a copy of the policy. They have no reason to say no whilst it applies to your situation!

It seems silly but I had a remote TTO job and they set the holidays to their LA holidays even though my DCs school was different as we’re in a different area.

I told them but they said that’s the rules type thing and so I do wonder if it’s protocol.

I didn’t push it as I didn’t need full childcare but I don’t think they would have budged either.

Are you valued there?
Could you explain that you may need to look for another role due to childcare?

The trouble is OP, they have been very flexible and TTO jobs are incredibly difficult to come by - I would ask but be careful that I’m not rocking the boat too much.

Are the number of days you need off the same as the LA term dates? So LA dates are 14 weeks and you need 14 weeks just at different times?

If so, they do seem to be being unnecessarily awkward about the whole thing.

I’d have said if anything is MORE of a benefit to the business to agree to your term dates because presumably you have other team members who would want half terms off too, so the overlap with you and them would be lessened?

Assuming your school publishes its term dates in advance you’d know probably for the next 18 months when you’d be off, it doesn’t feel like a difficult thing to manage