Church holidays ‘could cause problems for standard school year’

THE closure of schools on church holidays could pose problems for introducing a standardised school year, teachers warned yesterday.

The Department of Education is in talks with teachers’ unions and school management bodies to try and give all primary and second-level schools the same holidays. Each primary school is obliged to provide 183 days tuition to pupils, with 167 days required in secondary schools.

The move to standardise school holidays has been long sought after by parents groups, with concern for families with children in more than one school. The idea is generally supported by teachers and school managers.