Is your school moving term dates?

[notevenat20]

Just got a message from DCs school that they are extending half term by a week and moving the Easter holidays to fit that. This is in anticipation of being able to go back on March 8 so we can get more schooling. This seems like a good idea to me. Is anyone else's doing this?

No. LAs organise term times 2 years in advance, so that wouldn't happen. Independent schools less constrained.

A lot of schools don’t finish until easter week do they? So will be difficult to move term dates.

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot

No. LAs organise term times 2 years in advance, so that wouldn't happen. Independent schools less constrained.

If they are an academy, they can set their own term times, and are not constrained by what the LA do. In reality many will try to co-ordinate, to make everyones' life easier, but they don't have to, and can make changes like this if they wish.

That said, because Easter is early this year, I would imagine few state schools will have scope to do so as current term will take them up to Easter.

As pp has said academy schools can but I doubt many would because many school staff have their own children in different schools. It would cause massive child care problems for staff.

Not heard anything. I would rather they didn't to be honest as last minute chopping and changing is a nightmare. I'm working out of the home so I'd have to organise more childcare at short notice.

DS1's school has brought forward by a week the return to school after Easter, and also brought forward the end of summer term by a week. It's an independent so able to set its own term dates. DS1 is in Y13 so it potentially means an extra week's education for him before whatever cut off date is put in place to assess his final grade. On the whole, it seems like a reasonable plan, although DS1 wasn't so impressed!

DCs school is going to break up for Easter on April 1. I am not really sure I understand the inflexibility of LAs. Is there a legal reason why they can't change term dates in a crisis?

@notevenat20

DCs school is going to break up for Easter on April 1. I am not really sure I understand the inflexibility of LAs. Is there a legal reason why they can't change term dates in a crisis?

Most state schools will already be breaking up then, they wouldn't have a week in hand to push back to then.

And LAs can change, and individual schools can implement inset days, so not every school is the same even if not an academy.

Once set, LAs are usually very reluctant to change, for a number of reasons; there are legal minimums in terms of days education state schools need to provide, for example, so any changes have to be compensated for elsewhere. LAs generally like to match with neighbouring LAs too, and of course short notice changes tend to play havoc with people's childcare arrangements.

@notevenat20

DCs school is going to break up for Easter on April 1. I am not really sure I understand the inflexibility of LAs. Is there a legal reason why they can't change term dates in a crisis?

As I understand it there is a rule in terms of how much notice has to be given for a change of date. That's why the dates are set for a number of academic years in advance. But I can't remember how much notice.

Most parents work and have to either book leave or childcare up to a year in advance. People also book holidays when term dates are released. It’s not too difficult to understand why term dates are honoured once released!