Head has changed term dates

[rosabud]

In September my kids' primary school became an Academy. The head-teacher was already known for being a bit of a tyrant on school policies etc, now he has decided that next year he is changing the term dates. The children will get only one week for their Easter holidays and two weeks for June half-term. Obviously this is going to be a nightmare for those of us who have children at secondary schools (as they re sticking to normal national dates) or close family or friends with kids at other schools who we were hoping to meet up with or share time with in the holidays. Or for those of us who work in education ourselves but whose schools are sticking to the national dates. It is going to be particualrly difficul for those of us who are single parents or who don't live near a family support network for childcare.

Has anyone else experienced this? Is there anything we, as parents, can do? Ultimately the head wants to lead up to dismantling the traditional 6 week summer break and having 4 terms. None of us were consulted about this or about the school becoming an Academy.

Any advice would be appreciated.

High schools near me did this when they changed to academies. Their Easter hol was really different to the primary Easter hols so siblings had different time off. I don't think there is anything you can do as the essence of an academy is that they operate out of county control. Sucks I know. Send a letter to Mr Gove?

Its what Gove wants - weakens LEA coordination

DS2s primary was going to do this, but there was such an uproar from parents that they decided it wasnt worth it.

You could ask for a copy of the minutes of the governing body confirming that this change was agreed by the governing body / trust of the school. If you are right about the tyrant bit then there is a distinct possibility that this was not agreed by the Governing Body.
However as an Academy they an alter the holidays and the school start times having consulted with all parties. One might have thought that all parties would include parents but that is open to conjecture!

our school changes hours from next term
they 'consulted' the parents
and went ahead anyway
and now will not release the results of the consultation

If my local schools change term dates in September when both the Primary and Secondary change to Academies - then for the first time ever I will be taking either the two DS's or my DD out during NORMAL holiday times regardless. Especially over Easter as it's the only time I can co-ordinate DD's 2/3 day trip to the Cardiac specialist 100+ miles away. No-one else to do the school runs and stay with the boys because I am a Lone Parent, they don't go to the local school so no-one else here doing the school run, I will be in hospital accommodation 100+ miles away, and they aren't old enough to stay alone.

If the schools try to do this here, I guess I'll be getting an annual visit from the EWO. And they can stick it in their effing pipe and smoke it!

It's what will happen though, now Gove has forced or bribed so many schools to no longer be under LA control - chaos.
Still, as another poster said, it would mean a lot of absence as children who would never before have been taken out of school, are taken out to tie up their holidays with the rest of their family.

It's not however unique to academies.

Notts LEA was proposing changes to its schools in the city but not to those in the areas surrounding it, threatening exactly the same chaos of non-matching dates. VA schools have always had this freedom too.

think of the teachers - if THEIR term time no longer tallies with that of their children
then again academies keep hiring NQTs who do not have kids yet!

I do like the idea of four terms but it needs to be county wide so the schools co-ordinate.

I agree that it puts a lot of people out. Can you start a petition, see if anyone is happy about the arrangement?