Majority want to keep Welsh term times as they are according to research commissioned by Welsh Government

The majority of people are happy to keep the school summer holidays as they are in Wales according to research by the Welsh Government.

The Beaufort Report’s been published today looking into the public’s attitude towards proposals from Cardiff Bay to change the way Welsh pupils take their holidays.

The report looked at plans to shorten the summer break

They include plans to shorten the summer school holidays and change the pattern of the school year.

Of over 13 thousand parents and carers surveyed 76 percent said they felt the current school year was ‘appropriate for people’s lives nowadays’

The Welsh Government commissioned report, carried out by the Beaufort Research company, sought opinions from a total of 13,016 people, including those from parents, carers, businesses, the general public, and from across the Welsh education workforce.

It found the majority of participants have been revealed to be ‘content’ with the shape of the current school year in Wales.

Eight in ten parents and carers (76%) said they felt the current school year was ‘appropriate for people’s lives nowadays’.

This finding was echoed by 7-18-year-olds currently in education – 78% agreed that the current structure of the school year was appropriate.

The findings for those surveyed who work as part of the education workforce remained broadly uniform (78%) in supporting the current timetable.

Those in favour of the current school year said it ‘was a familiar system that worked and to which the sector, learners, parents and businesses had adapted and harmonised’. The fact that it aligned with the English school year was also highlighted as beneficial.

In response to the report, Laura Doel, director of school leaders’ union NAHT Cymru, said:

“We challenge the transparency of this report, given that the questions were clearly bias towards pushing the government’s reform agenda. Apart from the initial questions, the status quo was not included in any of the questions giving alternate options.

“Those who identified current arrangements as their preference were presented with a series of alternative options with no choice of retaining the status quo.

“Even if you were to take this report at face value, it demonstrates that there is no great desire for structural reform of the school year, and it should not be deemed an evidence base on which to make major changes.”

"Additional stress and distraction"

Laura Doel continued:

“The key question is how changing term times would improve outcomes for learners. This remains unanswered. NAHT Cymru firmly believes that the basis of any reform should ensure the best provision and outcomes for learners.

“In fact, the little evidence available on school holidays shows that countries with much longer summer breaks than Wales have higher levels of attainment and suffer no significant loss of learning. This international evidence is contrary to the reforms being put forward.

“The Welsh Government would be better served in focusing on providing support to teachers and learners and helping schools deliver current reforms before embarking on any further changes to education. We urge the Education Minister to put plans to move to public consultation on hold until there is a clear evidence base on which to do so.”

Kerina Hanson, president of NAHT Cymru, said:

“With an already overwhelming reform agenda, now is not the time to be adding additional distraction and stress to the system. Schools must be allowed to focus on the important task of transforming and embedding their new curriculum and assessment.

"Let's do what we've already started well, ensuring any further reform is firmly founded on educational research evidence.”