Easter school holidays may change

11:16am Friday 25th January 2002

PLANS are being looked at which could mean the end of the traditional Easter school holidays.

Good Friday would instead be a day off in the middle of one of six school terms. This could tie in with Easter Day being on the same date each year and not decided according to the traditional phases of the moon.

Buckinghamshire County Council's heads and governors panel asked for a report on six term years after the Local Government Association came out in favour of the plans.

At last week's panel meeting Peter Gasson, of the council's policy, performance and information department, said no changes would happen until 2004/5, but people should start thinking about it because term dates were set so far in advance.

The school year would start in late August, terms would each be of the same length and there would be holidays in October, Christmas, the spring and early summer. There would be no adjustment for the date of Easter.

Exams would be taken in April or May so pupils could apply for university or college places based on results rather than hopes.

Members were worried about what would happen if other LEAs did not follow suit. Buckinghamshire could not go out on a limb, they said. Mr Gasson said neighbouring councils were waiting for someone to move.

Marion Clayton, the council's cabinet member for schools, was worried about Easter which she said was a significant day in the school year. But others said children would learn more about Easter as a religious experience if they were at school.

Cllr David Meacock (Amersham East) said he was against six terms and for long summer holidays when young people could take part in summer schools oractivities.

"If you want to be radical, start the school year at the beginning of the financial year or in January rather than in September and have exams in October. Then people could have a good time at Christmas," he said.

But he is in favour of fixing the date of Easter and wrote to the Bishop of Oxford, the Right Rev Richard Harries saying so.

The Bishop replied saying a fixed Easter was not church policy. Cllr Meacock replied saying if the church could have women priests, gay priests and "happy clappy" services, he could not understand why they were not prepared to discuss a fixed date for Easter.

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