The council’s cabinet will decide next week on the pattern for Stoke-on-Trent school terms for the next academic year 2013-14 and beyond, the recommendation put to the cabinet will be to stay with the traditional three-term system, with breaks for Easter and Christmas, and a six-week summer holiday.
A 14 week consultation with parents, teaching and support staff, pupils, school governors, trade unions and other groups got 1,369 responses:
The council consulted on a number of alternatives for varying term as did other local education authorities across the country, and had asked for opinions on options including re-introducing the Potters’ Fortnight, a five-term system, a ‘standard’ six-term pattern, and extending the Christmas break to three weeks.
The results shows no strong opinion on any of the options:
Alan Dutton, Cabinet member with responsibility for Education said:
We know that other councils are considering their school term times, and that Cheshire East, for example, has adopted the standardised six-term year.
We have to be mindful of what neighbouring authorities decide because of the impact on families – especially those who have children in a Stoke-on-Trent school, and other children in a neighbouring council school.
With this in mind, we are proposing to keep term times the same, unless neighbouring councils change their policy, or nationally there is further change.
The Cabinet Report:
http://www.moderngov.stoke.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=35506
The Consultation Report:
http://www.moderngov.stoke.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=35505
