Cheaper family holidays as English State Schools allowed to set own term dates.

Plans outlined by the Government to allow British State Schools to set their own term dates could help families to travel on more affordable holidays as they will no longer be restricted to taking the family away over the national six week school summer holiday.

The number of unauthorised absences and fake illness will hopefully be reduced as parents can afford to travel during school holidays.

The Government wants to increase school autonomy and allow individual schools to set their own term dates like academies. The Department of Education reported that "heads and teachers who know their parents and pupils best" should be allowed to decide term dates. There will need to be a certain level of cohesion between local schools to ensure that families with children in different schools still have the same time off together. Both Labour and the current coalition government are both in favour of the new term date flexibility plans which should come into effect from September 2015.

Currently schools can control over the structure of a school day but from September 2015 they will have control over the length of terms and could plan school terms outside of the term dates set by the local authorities. Each school would still be required to operate the minimum 190 school days per year.

The new plans are likely to affect more primary schools as not as many have adopted academy status. Whereas the majority of secondary schools in the UK are now academies and already have greater flexibility on term dates.

Current school term dates make holidays unaffordable

We compared the cost of a family holiday during different school holiday dates. The two secondary schools we used are in Bristol.  John Cabot an Academy that has a shorter summer holiday and an extended two week half term from 19th October until 4th November. Whilst Wellsway Comprehensive school (a non-academy state school) has the standard six week summer break and a one week autumn half term holiday from the 26th October - 3rd November. We looked at the cost of 2 adults and 1 thirteen year old child going abroad during the autumn half term break in each school.

School Holidays	Travellers	Date	Destination	Hotel and Board	Cost
John Cabot Academy	2 Adults + 1 Child	19th - 26th October 2013	Fuerteventura	3 Star All Inclusive	£1573.00
Wellsway School Non-Academy	2 Adults + 1 Child	26th October - 2nd November 2013	Fuerteventura	3 Star All Inclusive	£1925.00
Difference in Cost					£352.00

*Prices based on 7 nights flying from Gatwick staying at the Hotel Costa Caleta Fuerteventura, board all inclusive taken from www.thomascook.com on 4th July 2013

From the table above you can see that the family able to travel outside of the holiday dates set by the Local Education Authority (LEA) can save £352.00 on booking the same holiday as the price available to the family restricted by the current non-academy term dates.

Flight Only

School Holidays	Travellers	Date	Destination	Flight Operator	Cost
John Cabot Academy	2 Adults + 1 Child	19th - 26th October 2013	Fuerteventura	EasyJet	£684.96
Wellsway School Non-Academy	2 Adults + 1 Child	26th October - 2nd November 2013	Fuerteventura	EasyJet	£1455.96
Difference in Cost					£771.00

*Prices based on return flights from Bristol to Fuerteventura taken from www.easyjet.com on 4th July 2013

The different in cost was even greater when we looked at flights to Fuerteventura with Easyjet. Flights are more than double the cost for families restricted to travel during current state school holiday dates. The cost of flights for the family able to travel outside of the LEA term dates was £771.00 cheaper. 

With the introduction of individual state schools being able to set their own term dates hopefully more families will be able to travel abroad and enjoy an affordable family holiday.