Holidays booked out as school year is standardised

Niall Murray, Education Correspondent

All schools will close for two weeks at the end of March, in the first standardised Easter holidays. Up until now, those in different parts of the country and even neighbouring schools often began and ended such breaks on different dates.

The standardised school year, agreed between the Department of Education and teacher unions a year ago, sets out mid-terms, Christmas and Easter breaks for primary and post-primary schools through to March 2008. The intention, overseen by former Education Minister Noel Dempsey, was to give more planning freedom to families whose children attend more than one school.

But because every school in the country is closed for the same fortnight, there is greater demand for holidays on those dates.

Although it is the first full school year in which school holidays are standardised, Damien Mooney, managing director of Falcon & JWT Holidays, said the booking trends are already clear.

“The February mid-term and Easter are always very busy times for family breaks anyway. But parents now know when their children’s school holidays will be at least a year in advance,” he said.

“Previously, families might have a child at one school off for a different fortnight at Easter but they’re now all out at the same time,” Mr Mooney said.

Falcon & JWT’s winter 2005 brochure, which covers packages through to Easter 2006, will go on sale in April.