Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the German model for varying school term dates by region.

We agree that school term dates should not be determined at a national level. We believe that head teachers, school governors and local councils are best placed to set school term and holiday dates in the interests of the pupils and parents at their school. As such, term dates are currently determined locally by schools and local councils.

Governing bodies and councils must set dates in line with the requirements of the length of the school year as set out in the Education (School Day and School Year) (England) Regulations 1999. Academy trusts (of academies and free schools) are free to make changes to term and holiday dates.

We expect term dates to be arranged in a way that helps pupils to learn and gives them time away from school. While there is no formal process for coordination of term dates, in practice many schools and local councils work together, and with other areas. They do this because of practical constraints such as the timing of examinations and local areas’ desire to minimise any disruption to parents.

If schools do decide to change their term dates, they are required to act reasonably; giving parents notice and considering the impact on those affected – including pupils, teachers, the local community and parents’ work commitments and childcare options for both parents and teachers.