Decision details

Proposed decision:

The Cabinet Member for Education and Skills is asked to determine the School Year dates for community and voluntary controlled schools, by the local authority (LA)

Further information:

Schools are required by statute to provide schooling for 190 days. Teaching

staff are required by their terms and conditions to complete 195 days

including 5 development days.

Term dates and holidays, in England, are set:

•         for community and voluntary controlled schools, by the local authority (LA)

•         for foundation, voluntary aided schools, academies and free schools by the governing body.

The government’s policies to promote academies and free schools will mean that increasingly school governing bodies will be determining the school term dates for their schools.

The proposed calendar will be considered by Children, Young People and Education Cabinet Committee and following this the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills will take the final decision. Following the consultation and approval the agreed school term dates calendar for 2022-23 will be published.

Setting school term dates has a relationship to one of the priorities in Delivering Vision and Priorities for Improvement 2018 – 2021.  The priority states KCC will ‘ensure that the maximum number of children and young people of statutory school age are enabled to attend education provision on a full-time basis.’

Risks:

Following the recent announcement that the Government is looking at the possibility of shortening the summer holiday and moving to a five-term school year, it is possible that the proposed term dates for 2022-23 may have to be altered following determination.  However, our neighbouring LAs have already either determined or are currently consulting on their term dates for 2022-23 and there is the potential that if Kent delayed determination, it would have to follow the majority to ensure a co-ordinated approach.  In addition, if we do not determine the term dates, the LA will not be meeting its statutory obligation.

As Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, I agree to: the School Term dates for 2022-23.