More schools extending half term break leads to childcare challenges for parents
The number of state schools in England increasing half term to two weeks from one, have more than doubled since 2023.
There's a warning of a "postcode lottery" for families this October half term in England.
It's as parents are facing increased childcare challenges with more state schools introducing a two-week October half term.
A lack of strategy over the break leads to parents juggling children in schools with different holidays, an education expert has warned.
How many schools have increased their half term breaks?
State schools are increasingly switching to an extended autumn break to give teachers and pupils more time to “rest and reset” during a long and demanding term, leaders have said, and some have seen reductions in pupil absence and staff illness since making the move.
A recent survey by Teacher Tapp, of 8,112 state school teachers in England, found that more than one in seven (15%) said they had a two-week October half term this year.
This is up from 12% last year and 7% in 2023, according to figures shared with the Press Association.
The majority of councils in England still run a one-week half term in their schools, but the growth in academies – state schools which are independent of councils and set their own term dates – has meant a two-week half term is increasingly being explored by schools and academy trusts.
In England, council-run schools must open for at least 190 days during a year, and teachers can be required to work an additional five days for training which are usually Inset days.
Some local authorities, like Nottinghamshire and Bromley in London, have a shorter summer holiday to accommodate the two-week break in schools.
But many academies have opted to keep the other school holidays the same – and instead they lengthen the school day slightly or they reallocate staff training into “twilight” sessions – which has left working parents having to juggle an extra week of childcare not long after a six-week, summer break.
Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, has called on the Government to launch a “nationally co-ordinated programme of trials” to evaluate the extended break as he warned of a “more fragmented system” without knowing whether children are actually benefiting.
He told PA: “My concern is that we’re seeing a piecemeal revolution in the school calendar, with individual schools and trusts making changes without a wider strategy.
“That risks creating a postcode lottery for families, particularly parents juggling childcare and work when neighbouring schools operate different holiday dates.”
Anthem Schools Trust, which runs 15 schools in the East Midlands, London and Thames Valley, has introduced a two-week, October half term across all of its schools for the first time this year.
David Hatchett, chief executive of the trust, said some “logistical concerns” were raised by parents who had other children in nearby schools with different holidays.
But he said about 60% of families were in favour of the extended half term with some saying they were happy about the prospect of booking more affordable holidays earlier in the month.
The initiative is being rolled out across the trust as leaders believe the extended break has boosted pupil attainment and staff wellbeing in one of its schools in south London.
Mr Hatchett said feedback and analysis of absence data from St Mark’s Academy found that staff attendance was better after introducing the two-week break, and the extended holiday was “critical to keeping concentration and energy levels up” among staff and pupils.
He told PA: “When you have had such a long holiday over the summer and then you return to a long and intensive first half term, it is quite a big adjustment for a teacher and school leader; a one week break at the end of October is arguably too late and short for a proper rest and reset.”
The NAHT school leaders’ union is hearing of more state schools that have recently adopted a two-week October half term, or are considering it.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT, said: “The autumn term can be particularly demanding for both pupils and staff, and an extended break may help support wellbeing, motivation and readiness for the remainder of the term.”
Unity Schools Partnership, which runs 40 schools in the east of England, has seen a fall in the number of days lost to sickness absence for staff since introducing a two-week break in 2023.
Dominic Norrish, chief executive of Unity, said the move to a longer half term appears to be “increasingly popular” and he has heard of more trusts introducing it in Norfolk and Suffolk.
He told PA: “I think as soon as one trust locally moves, it seems to be that other trusts follow because it does make sense for lots of reasons if you can prove the impact.”
But Mr Norrish acknowledged that the change is “not universally popular” with families.
“It creates a longer time when children are not in school, which is particularly challenging for working parents, and we have received that feedback as well,” he added.
Lydia Hodges, head of the Coram Family and Childcare charity, said: “Holiday childcare costs an average of £191 per week in Great Britain, which is a substantial cost for many families.”
Ms Hodges acknowledged that an extended half term can be helpful to families if the long six-week break is shortened, but she said finding childcare could be “tricky” as a number of holiday clubs may not run during the half term.
She added: “Where schools are instead making up the education hours in a different way – for example by having longer days throughout the term – this can mean an additional week of childcare costs for parents every year.”
A Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson said: “Every child deserves a high-quality education, and that begins with being in school.
“While we stipulate the minimum number of days a school must be open for per year, local leaders and schools themselves are given the flexibility to set school term and holiday dates in the interests of pupils and their parents.”