Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Flip

Original poster

Inset days - how many can you have?

19 replies

captncrunch · 05/01/2023 18:38

Hello all. My understanding was that all state schools had 5 inset days. It's a bit of a nightmare for us because both DH and I work in schools and the inset days never match up and we can't take annual leave days to cover the random inset days at our DCs school. Kids have had 5 inset days so far and we have covered them through a mixture of favours from friends and paying for the school holiday club for the couple of insets that it was available for. Just filled out the calendar for the new year and kids have got 2 more this term. Seems loads but before querying it I wanted to check whether I was being unreasonable! My own school just has 5, always tagged onto holidays. Thanks!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

CallMeBubbleDarling · 05/01/2023 18:39

5 was also my understanding

Bobbybobbins · 05/01/2023 18:40

Yes I thought 5 too.

POTC · 05/01/2023 18:40

From our local authority website
"All maintained schools set 5 teacher training days called Professional Development (PD) days.
Academies and Free Schools can set their own term dates so please check with your child's school."

My son is at a free school and they do a longer school day so they can take more days off.

Original poster

captncrunch · 05/01/2023 18:45

Thanks all. This is a LA school. I will query it with them then!

They do have a slightly longer school day than other schools in the area, wonder if they think that means they can put more insets in like your school @POTC ? Bloody annoying if so!! I assumed all LA schools had to do the same number of days, not hours. Seems complicated that way.

OP posts:

onedayiwillbehappy · 05/01/2023 18:50

We have 5 inset days and 1 academy day now - too many !

EdnaMole · 05/01/2023 19:00

Are they insets the school is forced to take because they are used as a polling station? Used to have this with my daughter’s school and it was a right pain..not school’s fault at all - they didn’t want it- but were obligated to comply. Even daft things like electing new Chief Constable..

Original poster

captncrunch · 05/01/2023 19:02

Doubt it @EdnaMole , as that hasn't been the case in the past. Just checked and they don't match any local elections taking place though I suppose local chief constable is a possibility! 😁

OP posts:

Fairydustandsparklylights · 05/01/2023 19:02

Ours have 6 plus the extra day for the coronation which makes 7. Could that be it?

Jules912 · 05/01/2023 19:13

Ours have 5. Next academic year I thought they were being replaced with a 2 week half term, but spotted there's still 3 in the calendar plus the2 week half term. Is one of the extras the coronation? Last year they stuck an extra one in due to the jubilee.

Snowdropsarelovely · 05/01/2023 19:33

It's five in an academic year

PollyEsther · 05/01/2023 19:39

It's 5, but I have a niggle that there might be some mechanism whereby, in extreme circumstances schools can defer them from one year to the next? Could it possibly be that? I can't see any standard reason to explain having had 5 INSET days in the autumn term, never mind then having even more!

cabbageking · 07/01/2023 03:20

Although we have to provide 190 days of education we can not refuse polling days. It is up to school to stay open or to close if they can or can not keep the children safe. The jubilee was an additional bank holiday and teachers had an extra day for this. It was not an inset day. There are 5 Inset days but there may be other emergencies or where you can not operate due to specific staff being off. Should be on your Council website. Most schools already deliver 32.5 hours but by September 2023 at the latest, all state-funded, mainstream schools will be expected to provide a compulsory school week of at least 32.5 hours.

Augend23 · 07/01/2023 03:50

Was the queen's funeral one of the random closed days in the autumn term or was that on top?

Augend23 · 07/01/2023 03:51

Oh no that wouldn't cause leave issues.

Yellowmellow2 · 07/01/2023 10:56

Teachers work 195 days, 5 of which are INSET days. This year we’ll work one day less due to the coronation. Schools can have an extra INSET day for exceptional circumstances, eg moving into a new building, but this is not the norm. Two extra days would certainly need to be justified and I think it would be fine for you to enquire.

Abraxan · 07/01/2023 10:57

Fairydustandsparklylights · 05/01/2023 19:02

Ours have 6 plus the extra day for the coronation which makes 7. Could that be it?

The coronation isn't an INSET day, it's a bank holiday.

Abraxan · 07/01/2023 11:01

If an LA school then the school must be open to pupils for 190 days a year, unless there has been an official additional day granted, such as the extra bank holidays for the jubilee and next year's coronation. School closures for emergencies, such as snow, burst water pipes, no boiler, etc aren't included either.

Teachers must be available for a further 5 days for INSET.

Academies, etc can set their own rules though most do follow the LEA ones. I know of one that does take an extra Academy day though.

Fairydustandsparklylights · 07/01/2023 11:03

Abraxan · 07/01/2023 10:57

The coronation isn't an INSET day, it's a bank holiday.

Show quote history

I know that! However, if it’s blacked out as a non pupil day on the term date calendar on the school website, Op could be mistaking it for an Inset day when in fact it’s the coronation day.

Abraxan · 07/01/2023 11:04

Ah, true.
Ours is marked clearly as an additional bank holiday so avoids that confusion.

Flip