Teachers say they will leave the profession if changes to the school day and year in Wales go ahead. They have warned they are deeply unhappy with the changes proposed in the Welsh Government’s manifesto agreement with Plaid Cymru.
The Welsh Government wants to change school year dates. Three options were looked at in a survey it commissioned. All three would see the summer break shortened.
Plans to change school term dates and school hours were announced last November as part of a three-year deal between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru to work together in the Senedd. A pilot of an extended school day got underway in 14 schools last academic year.
Read more: Wales presses ahead with plans to reshape the school year despite most people being happy as it is
These are the school term and holiday dates that were proposed in a survey:
- Three school terms of about 13 weeks each. Each term has a one-week break halfway through. The autumn term is shorter than currently. There is a five-week summer break instead of six weeks.
- Five school terms of about seven to eight weeks. Four-week summer break instead of six weeks. Three-week winter break instead of two weeks. Two week breaks in October, February/March and May.
- Six school terms lasting about six to seven weeks. Each school holiday is about two weeks long except in the summer which is a three-week break
The Welsh Government said it will run a public consultation on the proposed changes later this academic year. Its argument is that the school calendar was created 150 years ago and needs updating to help issues such as lost learning in the summer.
Teachers opposing the plans say the Welsh Government research behind it does not explain how exactly it would benefits children’s learning and staff and pupils need a six week summer break. They said teachers are deeply unhappy and some will leave if the changes go ahead.
Teachers' views
“The Welsh Government wants these radical changes but the moment you speak to colleagues their first reaction is that if they go ahead then they will consider leaving teaching. There is already a massive recruitment issue in Wales, “ said Hannah O’Neill, who teaches at a school in south Wales.
“We have had enough with work load and bureaucracy and the low pay and then this comes on top of those. The Welsh Government has created their own research but did not talk to learners or the profession.”
She said that a six week summer break was important for children and staff. She understood the argument that there was some lost learning and come children from less well off backgrounds didn’t have the benefit of going away or summer activities, but that was a separate matter for policy makers and politicians to address.
“Six weeks is important for a proper break. If you look at half term nine out of 10 teachers are ill during half term -teachers are on their knees by half terms because they have worked so hard.
“The sic weeks in summer is important to switch off. At the weekends in term time everyone is busy planning and preparing for the next week.
“Children also need six weeks break when they are not thinking about learning but having time to go out and socialise and being carefree. Teachers are not childcare provision. The Welsh Government need to provide funds to put on more activities and play schemes in the summer.”
Secondary school teacher Geraint Williams agreed. He said the Welsh Government had not put forward a sound argument for why shortening the summer holiday and lengthening the school day benefited education.
“They have not really established why they want to make the changes. Changes seem to be more about child care than benefit to education. They should be talking about how it makes a demonstrable difference for learners.
“Child care is a valid issue but what are the economic and educational impacts of these changes? We’ve not been shown the rationale. ”
Both teachers are representatives of teaching union NEU Cymru and preferred not to say which schools they worked in because they were speaking personally.
Teaching union may ballot on the changes
Members of the NEU Cymru passed a motion at their annual conference last week rejecting the Welsh Government’s planned reform of the school day and term times without evidence to show its educational benefit.
Members passed a motion agreeing that “reforming the school day and school year must only be explored once there is clear evidence supported by research of educational benefit to learners as well as potential benefits for the wider community and the education professionals working in all sectors of education.”
The conference called on the Welsh government to publish “appropriate research” that identifies "all relevant issues within education in Wales" and to discuss the plans with the profession. It also called on Cardiff Bay to consult on any possible educational benefits together with all the possible difficulties and implications for staff, pupils, parents, industry, and the public.
The conference agreed to survey NEU members about the changes later this term and, depending on the strength of feeling, to conduct an indicative ballot of NEU members to boycott the reform of the school day and term times “if it is widely and deeply felt that members are opposed to the Welsh Government changes”
The Welsh Government responds:
The Welsh Government said a public consultation will be held later this academic year to look at how term dates, school holiday dates and length of terms “can work better for learners, school staff and families”.
A spokesperson said: “We are committed to looking at the structure of the school year to see how we can best support learner and staff wellbeing, tackle educational inequalities and align better with patterns of family life and employment.
“We are clear that we want to hear wide-ranging views on school year reform as part of a formal public consultation which will be opened before the end of the current academic year.
“We have, and will continue to, work with the workforce unions as we develop our plans for further engagement and consultation.”
When it announced the proposed changes the Welsh Government said it would look at teacher workload, holiday “learning loss” and the wellbeing of pupils and staff. It has been pointed out by the Education Minister, and others, that the school year in Wales has not changed for 150 years and was designed for an agricultural calendar not the 21st century.
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