INSET days - how far ahead do you get told dates?

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

I am a bit irritated because my DCs school has not issued the dates for next years INSET days yet, apart from one on the first day of autumn term, and I now have no way of finding out until September (I would like to book holidays at either Oct or Feb half terms and could really do with the info). How early are they typically set? What is being reasonable in terms of how much notice parents are given? I would ideally like to always know for at least the next two terms. I know they can change (that happened this year, but the school authorised time off for anyone who had made plans).

We get told at the end of the previous school year, so about June/July ready for September

Sometimes it is difficult to set dates when schools are employing outside trainers or planning to attend conferences where dates have not been released. It's annoying but sometimes out of the school's control.

We get them for the entire year before the end of summer term. I realise that isn't always possible, but if schools change inset days then yes, they must authorise leave for parents who had already budgeted that day as a day off.

My DD's school has given us all 5. The school I work in has told us 3 (all before Christmas)

Hi whoknows:

Our school is as pointythings describes - they try to give us an indication of both definite dates, closures for elections & provisional dates (sometimes just saying in the month of Feb one more inset day will be taken, but awaiting confirmation of training date).

What I will forewarn you is that if you want time off in term the policy on that is changing. Info here: www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/behaviour/attendance/a00223868/regulations-amendments

Basically family holiday is no longer allowed in term unless there are special circumstances. However, I suspect each school will take their own view on this.

My advice is to be upfront and contact the school directly about your proposed holiday plans.

DS's school tell us the years inset days in the first newsletter for September,

DD's starting at a different school in September and they sent out a letter in the summer term telling us this years dates.

I know all of Dds up to September 2015, the school publishes term dates very early

We have all term dates and inset days for 2013/2014 already.

Thanks all. We have never taken holiday in term time and have no plans to do so, I am quite against doing that (our school is very strict about it already in any case) so the policy changes aren't a problem. However we like to take advantage of INSET days to make a long weekend or longer half term, and quite often this involves booking things (in this instance we have a lot of airmiles to use up and it is much easier to get eligible flights the Thursday night before half term than the Friday).

We find out the inset days in the news letters in July for the following school year.

To be fair I think we have usually had them at least a term or two ahead, it's not usually this bad, also possible that there won't be any more between Sept and say Feb. I think I will go in at the start of term and ask, rather than wait for the newsletter, which might take weeks to appear, just wish I'd thought to ask before the end of term. It is a very good school on the whole, but communication is a bit of a weak point IMO.

Our local authority publishes term dates 4-5 years in advance. INSET days are taken in the holidays.

spaniel
how can INSET days be in the holidays?
they are by definition term time
ALSO
remember that around 50% of state secondary schools are no longer part of LEAs and so can choose whatever term dates they like

indeed, but there is no way they can enforce them to only being outside term dates
also, many of the best trainers are only available at certain times

We get told a year in advance.

Our LA specifies that two training days must be taken on days 'adjacent to term dates', the other 3 can be taken when the school wants during term time.

Perhaps to clarify!
The LA publishes the dates of the 190 days when children are in school, the vast majority of primary schools then arrange their INSET days around this-the additional 5 days that teachers are in school! Very few primary schools in my LA are academies (yet) and, as this is the Primary forum they were the schools I was referring to!
As there are a large number of rural schools locally we also arrange outside training with a group of schools together so we need to plan our INSET days well in advance!

We get told around 6 - 18 months ahead. i.e. in February, they were published for the full academic year 13/14.

Our INSET days are always in the children's holidays - they have to be. Our LEA suggest when we might have them, but that is all. We are having 1 at the end of August because of getting in an outside trainer. There is 1 day that is a holiday for children in the middle of a week which coincides with our county show and it is suggested that we have that as an INSET day, but otherwise it is up to us - although we did tell the head we wouldn't be doing a whole week in the middle of August!!
Our LEA does the same as spanieleyes' LEA.

INSET days should NOT be in the holidays you are contracted to work 195 days a year 5 of those days designated for training. They are often tagged onto the end of holidays in an attempt to make it easier for parents but should not be during holidays

My school has told parents of the first three - first 3 days of term on September (due to two new classrooms being built and the time needed to prep them).

Don't know next two. I'm assuming one will be last day of school year as it is a Monday. Staff will no doubt do it as a Twilight.

Dd's school has theirs on their website. They are all attached to holidays. But as she gets far more holidays than me anyway it's all a bit academic.

Ours are always in term time, usually 4 out of 5 attached to holidays.