The travel industry’s traditional extended six week peak season could be slashed under government plans to cut school summer holidays.
Education secretary Michael Gove yesterday announced a shake up of primary and secondary education at academies and free schools, including a more flexible, month-long summer break.
State-educated children have traditionally enjoyed a six-week break between the end of July and the first week of September – but Gove’s reforms could lead to the shortest summer holiday in Europe.
A switch from three to six terms a year is also being proposed and schools serving large numbers of working parents could stay open for 51 weeks a year, closing only over Christmas.
The new school year plans would see staggered summer breaks from the beginning of July to the end of September, which is seen as helping to counteract inflated peak season foreign holiday costs.
Gove highlighted in a speech the Norwich Free School, where “the school premises will be open for six days each week, 51 weeks of the year” from September. It will close only for bank holidays and the week of Christmas, and adopt a six-term structure with a four-week summer break