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Changes to term times in spotlight
Parents have been asked whether they want to keep school terms the same or move in line with neighbouring counties.
Rutland County Council has launched a consultation on the dates of the school year.
The council wants to know whether parents would prefer to stick with the current system or change to the dates used either by schools in Leicestershire or Lincolnshire.
Currently Rutland pupils attend school in six equal terms, with a two-week break in October and one-week holidays in February and May.
Leicestershire and Lincolnshire both operate on the three-term system, with Leicestershire schools beginning and ending the school year a week before their Lincolnshire counterparts.
The three half-term holidays in both counties are a week long.
Oakham CE Primary School headteacher Joan Gibson said she preferred the current system.
“Parents should consider what the best outcomes for children are.
“In many ways our term dates work very well for the children themselves.
“It gives them six main blocks of learning and means they don’t have a great long holiday in the summer so they don’t slip behind.”
Mrs Gibson said the equal terms also benefitted teachers. She added: “It makes planning for learning a lot easier.”
Oakham resident Vicky Niedzwiecki has a 13-year-old son, William, at Casterton Business and Enterprise College.
She said she would prefer Rutland to fall in line with Leicestershire.
She added: “The Rutland system sometimes can be to your advantage if you want to book a holiday.
“But I would prefer for it all to be the same. It is easier to visit friends or family so from a mum’s point of view it’s better if the kids are off at the same time.”
Mrs Niedzwiecki pointed out that finding childcare during the current two-week holiday in October could also prove difficult.
The council is consulting on term dates until March 26. It also wants to get the views of parents and carers on childcare.
Portfolio holder for children’s services, Coun Kenneth Bool (Con) said: “These are two areas that we know are important to parents and carers and we really need their help to make future decisions.
“We need as many people as possible to complete the two surveys so we can get a comprehensive understanding of what Rutland parents think and the key childcare and school term date issues.”
Both consultations can be viewed online at the Rutland County Council website.
Any changes would be made from September 2014. Some schools in Rutland have converted to academies and can set their own term times.
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Saturday 18 May 2013
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