School Terms and Holidays
The Standardised School Year Consultation
In Greater Merseyside, discussions have been taking place with regard to introducing a standardised school year across the region from 2010/2011.
It is proposed that future term dates are changed, particularly around the Easter break, to benefit children, their families and the staff in schools. The proposed changes will allow for better work/life balance as the school terms will be more evenly spaced out and the standardised approach will help with forward planning, holiday booking etc.
The proposals were agreed, in principal, at a meeting between the Greater Merseyside Directors of Children's Services, and it has been agreed that a consultation exercise will take place across the region during the Autumn term 2008 to obtain the views of parents, staff, governors, trade unions, elected members, the Diocese and Archdiocese and any other stakeholders.
This consultation exercise will give you all the chance to let us know what you think about the proposals and what you feel would be the advantages and disadvantages of moving to a standardised school year across the region.
In addition to the consultation process, Liverpool City Council have agreed to pilot the term dates based upon the standardised school year in 2009/2010. During that year, feedback will be obtained from parents and staff to identify whether the new approach has been beneficial, and this information will be considered alongside the feedback from the consultation process before any final decisions are made.
Calendar 2009/2010![(PDF [30.6Kb] opens in new window)](/images/PDF.gif)
The principles for the calculation of standardised term dates are:
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All terms will start on a Monday (except where a bank holiday prevents this, in which case the term will start on a Tuesday).
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October half term will always be the last full week in October.
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February half term will always be the third full week in February.
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The Easter Break will be moved and replaced by a fixed holiday at the beginning of April and will be known as the Spring Break. This will always be the first two full weeks in April and will not move with the Easter holiday.
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Easter may still fall in the Spring Break, but even where it doesn't, it will still be observed by the two bank holidays for Good Friday and Easter Monday. This will give a more even distribution between terms, thus providing a better balance for children and staff in schools and avoiding exhausting long terms that are caused by early (2008) or late (2011) Easters.
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In any case where the school is open for part of a week, the school will be open for 3 or more days to encourage good attendance.
Under the current system, even slight variations in terms dates between the Authorities can have a serious impact on some families who live, work and go to school across our boundaries. This is not an ideal situation, as the children will potentially have different holiday patterns which is further complicated if the parents work in school settings too. If the school year is standardised across Greater Merseyside, it should provide greater stability across the region and improved work/life balance for staff in schools, the children and their families.
Download a printable version of this information Standardised School Year
Term Dates & Holidays
As some Catholic, Church of England and Hebrew schools may set slightly different dates please contact your child's school direct.
2008/2009 ACADEMIC YEAR
AUTUMN TERM 2008
Monday, 1st September - Wednesday, 17th December 73 days
Half Term - Monday, 20th October - Friday, 24th October
SPRING TERM 2009
Monday, 5th January - Friday, 3rd April 60 days
Half Term - Monday, 16th February - Friday, 20th February
SUMMER TERM 2009
Monday, 20th April - Wednesday, 22nd July 62 days
Half Term - Monday, 25th May - Friday, 29th May
May Day Bank Holiday - Monday, 4th May
2009/2010 ACADEMIC YEAR
AUTUMN TERM 2009
Tuesday, 1st September - Friday, 18th December 74 days
Half Term Monday, 26th October - Friday, 30th October
Christmas Break Monday, 21st December - Friday, 1st January
SPRING TERM 2010
Monday, 4th January - Thursday, 1st April 59 days
Half Term Monday, 15th February - Friday, 19th February
Good Friday Bank Holiday Friday, 2nd April
Spring Break Monday, 5th April - Friday, 16th April
SUMMER TERM 2010
Monday, 19th April - Wednesday, 21st July 62 days
Half Term Monday, 31st May - Friday, 4th June
May Day Bank Holiday Monday, 3rd May
Summer Break Thursday, 22nd July - Monday, 30th August
Total 195 days
Under current regulations, there are 5 inset days to be allocated by each school's Governing Body from within these days.
Holiday Discount Scheme
Liverpool Children's Services has worked with local travel agents to develop a holiday discount scheme.
Families can claim discounts from participating travel agents if their holiday is booked to take place during school holidays.
Download our information sheet and application form. Holiday Discount Scheme