It has been confirmed that Isle of Wight schools will revert back to a 2-week Christmas holiday and a shorter Autumn break from next year.
The Isle of Wight Council’s Cabinet set the school holiday timetable for the 2022-23 academic year last Thursday, agreeing to a shorter 1-week October half-term and an extended 2-week Christmas break – how it always used to be.
Councillor Debbie Andre said the decision supported the majority view expressed by schools and headteachers during a consultation. She said:
“Analysis of the responses showed that the majority preferred a two-week Christmas break.
“Twenty-three of the 31 responses supported having a two-week, three-weekend Christmas break (whenever possible). Of the 23, 14 wanted to return to the pattern used in most local authorities, with a one-week October half term break.”
The council only sets the term dates for voluntary controlled and community schools, of which there are 24. Voluntary aided, foundation and academy schools have the freedom to set their own term dates but are still included in council consultations and do respond. Many will agree a school year that is the same as that decided by the council.
At the same meeting, the Cabinet agreed to a change to the 2021-22 term calendar to respect the additional bank holiday on Friday 3rd June 2022, which will celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. As the date falls within May half-term (30th May-3rd June), pupils and staff will have an extra day off on 22nd December 2021, extending the Christmas holiday.
However, Shadow Cabinet Minister Paul Brading says he is ‘very concerned’ with the decision.
“I am very concerned with the Term Time decision taken at Cabinet, that Cllr Andre thinks it is right and proper to make important decisions on Childrens education without seeing the need to consult with parents at all. The decision to follow her personal belief and remove the 2 week October half term in this way is alarming and disrespectful.
“The introduction of this 2 week half term followed an extensive and properly constructed consultation in 2017 which received 1877 responses, a higher response than to any previous Council consultation. From this an overwhelming 2/3 of respondents supporting the model of a shorter Summer Holiday and a two week half term in October. So this was implemented and there have been so many positive comments from schools and feedback from parents.
“The consultation Cllr Andre tries to refer to is the standard annual process when we advise schools of the planned timetable, it is not a consultation at all as only goes to headteachers. It is interesting to note that the only difference this year was that it was sent out twice because of the extremely poor response rate when it was originally sent. This was followed by her claims that “Heads know what their parents want?”. From the small handful of comments made by Head Teachers the main issue raised was the shortening of the Christmas Holiday, rather than any comments about the half term she has chosen to remove.
“This decision shows a total lack of respect for the views of Parents, and the wider community”.
Paul Brading is spot on. Why these so called leaders think they can just steamroller over public consultations is beyond me. That is not leading.
All because we were a bit different that everyone else.
Why take notice of schools and headteachers the parents views should be listened to but no chance of that happening again. New council same dictatorial attitude
This is completely bizarre. The second week at half term got taken off the summer holidays, not the Christmas ones. That’s why everyone else has six weeks summer holiday and the Isle of Wight only five. Not all parents notice this because some schools choose to put INSET days at the end of the summer term and start of autumn term.
We’ve never had three weeks off at Christmas and no one is asking for that now – but insisting on three weekends will necessitate two and a half weeks off at Christmas rather than two. I don’t understand why we can’t just have the same holidays as everyone else!
Because this is the IW so bound not to make logic or sense.
I would have thought that after all the schooling that was lost during the pandemic school holidays would have been shortened to try and claw back some lost education. As for inset days with further time off for children is crazy – teachers should do the training in the set holidays – they get paid for it and get more holiday than the average worker in the first place.
Disgraceful and disrespectful not to have consulted parents affected by this change.
What real difference is having one less week in the summer and one more in October? The only difference is the massive amout of extra expedidure for hard working parents who want a break.
That is why we voted for it in the 1st place.
Still at least these teachers can have an extra week at thier French holiday home while we all scrimp and save.
Thanks Andre