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Original poster

Could we have a show of hands regarding dates for February half-term, please?

35 replies

frogs · 14/09/2006 13:03

Just putting dates into my Organised Mum calendar (ha!) complete with colour co-ordinated highlighting, and discovered that, yes, it's dd1's first year at secondary school, and yes, hers and ds's half-term dates don't gel. Bugger. Since the head of ds's primary school is notorious for organising the school's term dates to suit his own childcare/holiday requirements rather than following the rest of the local schools, it would be helpful to see which is the standard week for most schools in London and SE England.

So, is your Feb half term date

(a) Week beginning Feb 12th
(b) Week beginning Feb 19th?

And whereabouts are you?

I thank you.

OP posts:
Marina · 14/09/2006 13:04

It is a)
Independent school but half-term dates are usually the same as LB Greenwich where the school is situated

nutcracker · 14/09/2006 13:05

12th, at least it better be cos thats the week i have off college.
Am in Birmingham.

foxinsocks · 14/09/2006 13:05

we are week beginning 19th Feb (richmond upon thames)

LIZS · 14/09/2006 13:06

a) here

Marina · 14/09/2006 13:06

a) in LB Bexley too

Bozza · 14/09/2006 13:06

Ours is b but we are in Yorkshire. I remember specifically because DS's birthday is the 20th. Is it a private school? I though LEAs determined holidays and schools only had say over inset days.

Marina · 14/09/2006 13:08

a) definitely in LB Greenwich

wordgirl · 14/09/2006 13:08

Bozza, I'm in Yorkshire and ours is a!

sandyballs · 14/09/2006 13:12

19th - 23rd, Croydon area.

JoPG · 14/09/2006 13:16

a) - School is in Kent

Original poster
frogs · 14/09/2006 13:19

Thanks, guys -- so impressed that you all knew the dates without having to rush off and leaf through a chaotic rack of old school handouts muttering darkly under your breath! Which has been standard procedure in the frogpond up till now, hence the attempt to up my game with the Organised Mum calendar.

As I suspected, looks as if the primary school is out on a limb.

Bozza no, it's a state school. I'd always thought the LEA laid down the rules too, but they don't seem to be binding. The thing that really irritates me is the head's pathetic attempts at pretending there is a sound reason for breaking with all the other local schools one year we had, 'Oh, we're a church school, so we wouldn't consider working through Holy Week as that would be inappropriate'. And then the following year it was, 'As a church school, we feel the children should have the opportunity to celebrate the observances of Holy Week with their school community'.

You couldn't make it up.

OP posts:
Original poster
frogs · 14/09/2006 13:23

Have just confirmed that 11th is the most common date nationwide by the simple expedient of checking the Mark Warner Ski holiday website to see which week has the most ridiculous markup.

OP posts:
sandyballs · 14/09/2006 13:24

My neighbour has this problem with her RC primary school. They broke up on Maundy Thursday last Easter.

Bozza · 14/09/2006 20:15

We are in kirklees wordgirl and I know that Wakefield nearly always seems to have different holidays.

Berries · 14/09/2006 20:23

a and b. DD1 is in y6 state, dd2 is in yr5 independant, but the Stockport & Macclesfield boroughs have diff holidays (again) & independants have gone with Stockport rather than Macc (which is where they are)

UrsulatheSeaWitch · 14/09/2006 20:25

cottages4you marks them both up - does this help? Same for October.

frogs, have a look here - very useful website - link on R for finding all LEAs. Then you can have a ball navigating the different websites but will, eventually, find out every term date you might ever need.

Loshad · 15/09/2006 21:49

b), independent, leeds school - tbh they generally tie to LEA hols, but Lea altered it after our school had booked trips away etc so they left it where it was.

hulababy · 15/09/2006 21:50

Sheffield, independent school - week beg Feb 12th.

Gobbledigook · 15/09/2006 22:02

South Manchester/Cheshire
State primary
12th Feb

Gobbledigook · 15/09/2006 22:04

The secretary at my school said that the LEA sets the holidays but that schools then have 10 days which they can allocate where they like. Our school always puts another week at May half term (which is fabbo as it's usually nice weather and most other schools are not on holiday during our second week so holidays are cheaper and places are less crowded -yippee!).

sugarfree · 15/09/2006 22:04

19th, state secondary in Hampshire

BadHair · 15/09/2006 22:08

Shropshire - 12th Feb. Was 19th but Local Authority changed it, according to the list of term dates brought home today.

UrsulatheSeaWitch · 15/09/2006 22:14

Lancashire, state sec, Mon 12/2.

Lancashire's website gives details for each individual school, dunno if that's usual now? Anyway DS2's school breaks up for Oct ½ term on Fri 20/10 and with benefit of an inset day doesn't go back until Wed 1/11 - that's nearly 2 weeks - we should do something with it

QueenPeaHead · 15/09/2006 22:15

primary, private, wiltshire, week beginning 12th feb

chatee · 16/09/2006 21:43

cumbria-state primary- 19th