Proposals for a Six Term Year

Committee : EDUCATION, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND LIFELONG LEARNING SELECT COMMITTEE

To receive feedback from the consultation on proposals for a Six Term Year and to recommend one of the options for adoption by the Executive.

LEAs have the responsibility to decide the distribution of teaching days in any one academic year. The Local Government Association, representing LEAs, commissioned research into term and holiday distribution and a digest of the Commission’s report was considered by this Committee at its meeting of 11 February 2002. It recommended that a sample of stakeholders should be consulted and the results of that consultation are shown below.

There were 14 meetings ranging in size from 5 participants (Union/Association Secretaries) to more than 100 at the Ryde Open Meeting.

Each consultation meeting received a short presentation (similar to that provided to this Committee on 11/02/02), followed by questions and discussion. At the end of the interchange of views participants were asked to complete a short questionnaire (copy attached at Annex A). Questionnaires were not completed by Union/Association Secretaries or the Education Partnership.

Points in Favour of the Proposals

Points Against the Proposals

1. The evenness and predictability of term lengths.

2. The 2 week break between Terms 1 and 2 (October).

3. Earlier examinations and the possibility of post qualification admission to Higher Education.

4. Not much point in making the changes unless they are adopted nationally.

5. Concern about the lack of detail relating to the use of Term 6 for cultural/transitional activities.

6. Concern about the reduction of teaching time, particularly for AS levels.

Oral Feedback Provided Mixed

Reaction On:

7. a) Worries for the Tourist Industry of shortening the Summer Break from 6 to 5 weeks.

• 5 days flexibility.

• Holidays out of term time.

• Relative costs of holidays.

b) Weather considered more suitable for holidays in August than in October.

c) Impact on families of shortening the time span during which parents can take a Summer break.

There was criticism, in some meetings, of the breadth of the consultation process and of the refusal to analyse statistically the potential responses of those not able or willing to attend any of the meetings.

3. Communicate broad support for the proposals to the LGA but commission further research and consultation amongst stakeholders.

4. Communicate opposition to the proposals to the LGA but commission further research and consultation amongst stakeholders.

5. Vary the Commission’s proposed pattern by adding 4/5 days to the Summer Holiday. (The consequence would be that these teaching days would have to be created elsewhere).

Communicate broad support for the proposals to the LGA but commission further research and consultation amongst stakeholders.