Top boarding schools ask that holiday rules be eased

SOME of the country’s most elite boarding schools have asked to have the standardised school year relaxed for its staff because they teach students at weekends.

The agreement reached in February between the Department of Education, teacher unions and school sets out the mid-term, Christmas and Easter holidays for primary and second level schools up to the summer of 2008.

But around 25 boarding schools which provide classes on Saturday mornings have asked for extra days holidays at Christmas and Easter because they offer around a dozen days above the minimum 167 days of tuition that are required of all second level schools.