Consultation closes over six-term schools

Any changes would come into effect in September 2005

A consultation period into proposals to change to a six-term academic year in East Sussex comes to an end today.

The local education authority attempted to introduce such a move in the late 1990s, but it was opposed by parents.

The county council has sent out 70,000 leaflets to schools and libraries about the proposals which covers the arguments for and against and includes a questionnaire to be filled in.

If the changes went ahead, schools would still be open to pupils for 190 days - the same as the present three-term school year.

Consistency

Each of the six half-terms would then become a separate term with each of them being of the same length from year to year.

The six-term year is a national proposal from the Local Government Association.

The council has said it is working with other nearby authorities to make the changes as consistent as possible.

The earliest the changes would come into effect would be September 2005.