The Welsh Government is pressing ahead with its plans to reshape term dates and holiday lengths despite a consultation showing the vast majority of people are happy with the school calendar as it is. A formal public consultation will be held in the coming academic year looking at options including shorter summer holidays and three terms of more uniform length.
Changes to the school year and school day were announced last November as part of a three-year deal between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru to work together in the Senedd. The Welsh Government was unable to say when changes would be made, but it is unlikely in the next year.
Newly-published research for the Welsh Government shows most people are happy with dates as they are and like the longer summer holiday. But the researchers who carried out the survey said people were "open" to change when shown possible alternatives for the school year.
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Education unions said they could not see why the minister was pressing ahead with a public consultation when there was "no appetite" for change. Options include cutting the six week summer holiday to make way for three terms of more uniform length, but the number of holidays overall would not be reduced and the summer would not be cut to as short as two or three weeks, Mr Miles said.
Strongest opposition to any changes came from the education workforce and pupils, the survey of 13,000 people by Beaufort Research shows. Teachers and pupils were most strongly in favour of the status quo and parents, carers and businesses were also among those who said term dates as they are are "appropriate". The tourism sector said the long summer was vital for business.
The findings show that parents, learners, the education workforce and businesses were more satisfied with the current school year than the general public or "stakeholders", including local education authorities. Around eight in ten parents and carers (76%), 7 to 18 year-olds in education (76%), those working in education in Wales (78%) and businesses (79%) said they felt the school year now was “appropriate for people’s lives nowadays” or said they were “happy with how the school year terms and holidays are spread out at the moment”. That compared to seven in 10 (69%) of the public saying this.
Reforming the school calendar has significant cost and time implications, trade unions representing education staff said. The Nasuwt, the largest teachers’ union, has warned its members may strike or leave to work elsewhere if the changes go ahead.
Nasuwt Wales Secretary Neil Butler dubbed it "a change too far" adding: "It is clear that a large majority of people from all sectors are happy with things as they are. Any change would have no research behind it regarding educational benefits, would be a major upheaval and would require a change to the teachers' contract.
"Schools and the Welsh Government really have enough on their plate without going after this flight of fancy."
Eithne Hughes, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders echoed this. She said: "Given these findings it is difficult to see why the minister for education wants to push ahead with developing options to bring forward to a public consultation."
She said there were "more pressing issues that need attention" such as school underfunding, teacher shortages, pandemic recovery and the new curriculum: "There would need to be very clear educational benefits to justify such a huge upheaval and so much time and energy."
Welsh Conservative shadow minister for education Laura Anne Jones MS said: “I genuinely cannot believe that at a time when children are not getting the educational support they need after so much disruption, in addition to our young people not getting the mental health and well-being support that they need in school, or even to get back into school, the Labour Government are choosing to prioritise this. It’s remarkable.
“The Labour Government also show utter contempt for the wider impact of such decisions, such as the detrimental effect shorter summer holidays could have our tourism industry here in Wales.”
Those supporting change say Welsh learners and disadvantaged children particularly would benefit from shorter summer holidays, but some education staff told the survey that more concrete evidence was needed. The debate has been looked at for years with some research saying children forget what they have learned over the six week summer break and get out of the habit of learning.
Some nursery staff told the survey they “lost” vulnerable children over the six week summer break. One education worker said some vulnerable children dreaded such a long time away from the support of school.
“The majority of participants were content with the shape of the current school year in Wales. Participants are reasonably content with the current school year but there is some openness to considering change," the researchers found.
But the document - Attitudes towards school year reform in Wales Research and Engagement Findings - concluded that overall participants were more likely to be “reasonably” than “very” content with the school year as it is. It said this, combined with feedback and responses to survey statements, "indicate that there is openness to exploring alternative models.”
After being shown three proposals to how term dates could be changed people working in education and pupils seemed more supportive.
Version B was the preferred option with around one in three (32%) participants working in education and around one in four (23%) 7 to 18 year-olds in education. After seeing all three possible alternatives a sizeable minority of both the education workforce (32%) and learners (41%) opted to keep the school year unchanged.
However, over six in ten of the education workforce (63%) and just over half the learners surveyed (51%) opted for change, choosing one of the three alternatives.
The 119-page research document “Attitudes towards school year reform in Wales Research and engagement findings” found “stakeholders”, including local councils, were less content than other groups with the school calendar as it is at six in 10.
More than half of the public (54%) surveyed felt the current pattern of the school year “fitted well with their family or work commitments”, as did over seven in 10 parents and carers (74%) and businesses (71%). Six in 10 in the education workforce (64%) felt the current school year “supports learner progression and attainment and addresses disadvantage” but a sizeable minority of almost three in ten (29%) thought not.
Pupils said they valued the six week summer break for wellbeing, spending time with friends, no school work pressures and time for getting a job, Teachers and others working in schools felt the longer break gave people a chance to refresh while tourism businesses said the six week school summer holiday was crucial for revenue.
But many felt it could be shorter than six weeks and the long summer break and issues with term lengths were the main reasons for people being dissatisfied with the current school year.
“Children were thought to experience learning loss especially those from disadvantaged and vulnerable backgrounds and those at Welsh medium schools from non-Welsh speaking homes,” the researchers found.
“The absence over six weeks of the supportive school environment, combined with its routine, was considered particularly detrimental to vulnerable learners and those with additional learning needs.”
Some said children got bored over the six week summer break while others cited problems with working and childcare and the steeper prices of going on holiday at that time.
Beaufort concluded that people had not necessarily thought about the school year a great deal before being asked, so some accepted the status quo. But when the topic was covered in more detail “there is a high degree of openness to change based on the quantitative survey findings”.
Those against change said no reform could take place without “hard evidence” of why reform is needed and what difference it would make. There were also concerns about the school year no longer being aligned with England and what effect any change would have on exam preparation.
“Some argued that if learner attainment and supporting more vulnerable learners were key rationales for change, targeted interventions should be used for these learners and their families, rather than changing a current model that was deemed beneficial to many.”
Responding to the findings Education Minister Jeremy Miles said: “Whilst there is reasonable contentment with the current school year, after discussion and being shown different potential school year models, a majority of the education workforce and around half of learners opted for an alternative model.
“In line with our Programme for Government and commitments in the Cooperation Agreement with Plaid Cymru, I have asked officials to develop options to bring forward a formal public consultation during the next academic year.
“I am clear that there is no argument for changes to the overall number of holidays or for reducing the summer break to two or three weeks. However, I am pleased that the research published today demonstrates an openness to looking at the overall distribution of holidays throughout the year with a greater consistency in term lengths.
“Over the coming weeks and months we will continue to develop policy options and engage with stakeholders, including the education workforce unions, ahead of setting out further detail in due course.”
This is how school year dates are currently decided
Local education authorities decide term dates for maintained schools and governors for voluntary aided and foundation schools, but Welsh Ministers have a direction making power to determine school term dates.
How soon could the school calendar be changed?
The Welsh Government will bring forward a formal consultation during the next academic year, but negotiations need to be held with education unions and others.
It will look at experiences of local authorities in England who have made changes to their school calendars. Doncaster and Nottinghamshire councils are among those to have recently consulted on making changes to the school calendar.
What do you think of the plans to change the school year? let us know in the comments section below.
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