All change for education

When they go back to their lessons in September they will be embarking on the result of the biggest change in the school calendar for more than 100 years.

The traditional three-term spring, summer and autumn year has been abandoned by both the county and the borough councils in favour of a six-term year.

It is a move many local education authorities have been considering for several years, but while it has been welcomed by some, others have reservations about cutting the long summer holiday and the fact that the changeover is not nationwide.

In Swindon, councillors waited to see which way neighbouring local education authorities were going to move on the issue before they took the plunge and made their decision last autumn. Both Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire are in favour of the six term year.

Coun Garry Perkins (Con, Shaw and Nine Elms), Swindon Council's lead member for education, said it made sense to co-ordinate with other authorities because of the potential problems for parents who had children at schools in more than one LEA area.

The council's education department carried out a series of consultations with schools and governors and generally received very positive feedback, he said.

"We have been told by the Department for Education and Skills that it will enhance education and therefore we will go along with it," he added.

Swindon was one of 150 councils that endorsed the move to a six term timetable.

Coun Jane Scott, Wiltshire County Council cabinet member for children and education, said the move had the backing of the Local Government Association and had been made in the interest of improving pupil learning and teacher workloads.

"When we consulted on this issue we received a clear message of support for change, together with a desire to ensure that we are in line with as many of our neighbours as possible," she said.

Supporters have said the more regular holidays would help to prevent pupils from becoming drained by long drawn-out terms. A locked spring break would also help with preparations towards SATs and the June exams.

But not everyone has supported the move. Some want to retain the six-week summer holiday.

Education Secretary Charles Clarke is on record as being in favour of the change, but the Government has left it to local authorities to make the decision, which is one of the reasons for disagreement.

The National Association of Schoolmas-ters and Union of Women Teachers recently threatened strike action if local authorities pressed ahead with the move.

Dick Mattick, the union's Swindon secretary, said he wasn't opposed to the plan just the way it was being established.

"It should be national, not piecemeal. The main thing we want to see is consistency across the country so all authorities are doing the same thing," he said.

Locally the union declared a dispute with both Swindon and Wiltshire over a requirement for staff to work on August 31 this year, which would mean them working one more than the 195 days they contracted to do and were paid for.

An agreement was reached to allow teachers not to work that day and to carry it over to the next school year, which was actually a day shorter.

Mr Mattick said he felt there needed to be a long break in the summer and questioned the decision to reduce it.

"It is a case of teachers being able to recharge their batteries. There is an argument that pupils forget what they have learned, but that doesn't seem to happen in America where they have much longer holidays and there is no research that shows they forget."

Headteacher Mike Ferris of St Sampson's Junior School in Cricklade welcomed the change, but thought that in some ways it did not go far enough. He believed a more regular sequence of holidays would help teachers with their planning.

"I think many of them are very disappointed that the six term system still leaves some terms very different in length."

"The proposal for the six term year is very little different from what is in place at the moment," he said. "All it has done is to use a half term as a change in term."

"The overall opinion of the staff is that they want to see a national system established over term dates."

Parent and teacher Chris Farr, whose seven-year-old son Rob is at school in Chippenham, said: "I can usually spot my half term holiday by the prices in the brochures."

He thought the change of holiday dates might help parents book cheaper holidays initially, but the tour operators would probably catch on very quickly and parents would still find themselves paying out higher prices.

"I don't think the trend to late October holidays are going to be so popular in Britain as in the Mediterranean or the Canaries. I would question what it is going to do for the British tourist industry."

But over all he didn't think it would make a great deal of difference to parents who would still have to find childcare for the same number of days in the year as before.

Parents of children at Drove Road Primary School in Swindon had mixed views on the subject.

Mandy Dus, mother of Gabrielle, seven, was unsure whether the reduction in the summer holiday was a good idea or not.

"I think the children get bored after about four weeks but I think that at this stage they need six weeks to recover," said Mrs Dus, of Frobisher Drive.

Funda Pulatmen, of Old Town, whose daughter Nazli is seven, said: "I don't like the idea of cutting the holidays in the summer."

She explained that she came from Turkey and usually the family went over there for the summer.

"The children have three months summer holiday in my country and I think that as long as they get enough exercise it is good for them."

Jane de Lacey Munday, from Old Town, said: "The only difference I can see at the moment is the summer holiday is going to be about a week and a half shorter.

"From my point of view this is good because it is less child care that I have to find."

Jaine Lock, of Shrivenham Road, said she had taken her daughter Robyn out of school for a few days to go on holiday in the past because prices shot up in time for half term or the end of term.

Tour operators had even cottoned on to the parents' trick of taking children out of school a few days early. She didn't think the change in dates would make much difference.

"I have a lot of friends who are teachers and they love the summer holidays. I know that at the end of term they are dead on their feet."

One of the biggest travel firms, Lunn Poly said there didn't appear to be any changes in trends showing for holiday bookings next year, in spite of the move to six terms.

"The full range of brochures for the summer of 2005 will launch in the coming months so we will then monitor the booking patters," said spokesman James Watts.

"Parents choose holiday dates based on a number of factors including family commitments, family work constraints and school holidays.

"In future years if the proposed school holiday dates are accepted across the country it is conceivable that they would affect changes with the family holiday market and booking trends.

However destinations, such as mainland Spain, the Canary Islands and Florida have been family favourites with UK holidaymakers for such a long time that it is unlikely a change in school dates would have an immediate effect on the number of bookings or the seasons in which families choose to travel."

The new terms

Term 1 (Autumn): Starts August 31 and ends October, 20, 2004.

Term 2: Starts November 1 and ends December, 21, 2004.

Term 3: Starts January 5 and ends February, 11, 2005.

Term 4: Starts February 21 and ends March, 24, 2005.

Term 5: Starts April 11 and ends May, 27, 2005.

Term 6: Starts June 6 and ends July 22, 2005.

Tina Clarke