The whole country having half term around the same time is a bit bonkers

[tryingtobemarypoppins2]

there has to be a better way?!!

Might avoid holiday price rises too??

We had ours last week

No, the holiday companies would just raise their prices for the whole of the holiday period - be that one, two, three or four weeks.

Why is it bonkers? We all have Xmas, Easter and Summer hols at the same time so obv have to have mid-term breaks around the same time. I for one prefer it that way, otherwise wouldn't get to meet up with cousins, nieces etc as they are far away and weekends are taken up with too much other stuff it seems!

YANBU

Is stepped here. 2 'shifts' for 1/2 terms and 3 for longer holidays. Country is tiny compared to teh UK.

Holiday prices are still high in the school holidays, just for a much longer period.

Ours was last week. Was fantastic. Good deals on accommodation, quiet attractions. On the down side, a couple of attractions weren't open.

We don't, we are in Scotland

Would be a bit of a 'mare for families with DCs in different schools where the holidays fall at differnt times I guess? Somebody (no idea who) should stop holiday companies hiking up the price during school holidays though, it's a bloody disgrace!

Here it is per region, set centrally. Different schools would only be a problem they were on different sides county boundaries. Not all county boundaries, just some, are a number of counties per region.

HettyAmaretti now that sounds sensible!
pointydog where are you?

we also had ours last week (scotland). Our summer holidays start earlier too so we go on holiday right at the start and benefit from the cheaper prices - we often fly from manchester rather than glasgow as it takes hundreds of pounds off the holiday price too.

they are quite different this year. I know north west school were off last week and yorkshire ones this week and at easter west yorkshire, north yorkshire an manchester all have different holidays!!

We had mid term holiday last week.

North west schools are off this week, I think it was only Liverpool schools off last week

Yes we're in Scotland and were off last week. Our "Easter" Holidays are always the first 2 complete weeks in April (as exams start earlier up here) and this week I think we finish for the summer on 24th June.

But the area in Scotland that we visited on our holidays came off the day we were heading home and went back today. Its not normally a whole week up here, as Easter hols are earlier.

I would welcome Holidays at the same time, 3 kids, 3 schools, with two sets of holidays, We only have 4 weeks in summer and the christmas break where they are all off together.

Cannot take a holiday in half term (this is when we used to go) as there is always someone in school and last year the schools did not have the traditional Easter holiday.

We've been told that cannot take two eldest out of school during term time.
It makes going on a family holiday an absolute nightmare and of course costs a bloody fortune.

Last year we lied and phoned first day of absence to say it was a family emergancy, and took them all out in term time.

Dont think we will be able to use that excuse again though!!

we were off last week here in Sefton, all the Northwest councils got together last year and co-ordinated their holidays. So Liverpool, Sefton and Knowsley all now have their holidays at the same time. This half term will always be the 3rd week of February. Spring break is first 2 weeks of April (may or may not include easter),May half term is first week in June. This years spring break is great coz most people aren't off so we've got a good holiday deal.

autpetunia - I too am in Sefton and our bordering county West Lancs is off this week - so the traffic on the road has been light for two weeks which is good! It probably explains why some holiday places were cheap for our half term week - as it seems the rest of the country is off this week! Center Parcs were still pricey though!

I will look at the spring holiday (formerly known as Easter hols) to see if any cheap deals in this country - thanks for the tip-off!

We're just on the edge of Leicester (so Leicestershire is the LEA) and often have different holidays to the city, it's a nightmare for people locally to arrange holidays as quite a lot of people have one child in a school which falls into the city area, and another in the county.

DC's school made a mistake and gave it last week. We went to museums which were empty but no special half term things on. Plus parents with kids in secondary school annoyed at the different half term.

androbbob no problem, this year's spring break here is looking good for reasonable deals, know a couple of mum's have realised and are getting holiday's for few hundred less than the following weeks. Which encompasses Easter.

Whats all this spring break crap. This is Christian country it's Easter!!!!
(I'm not devot Christian btw but that rally annoys me!)

Our schools were off last week (north west)

Ours was 2 weeks ago. Is a private school and our holidays are always a couple of weeks ahead of everyone elses.

Our kids go back for the summer term before easter this year then have a long weekend!

Our kids are only at school for 6 days in April.