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.

They include such prestigious schools as Kings Hospital, Wesley College and St Columba’s College in Dublin, Bandon Grammar School and Midleton College in Cork, Glenstal Abbey in Limerick and Cistercian College in Roscrea, Co Tipperary.

The proposal is being considered by the Department of Education after being raised before the summer holidays by the Joint Managerial Body (JMB), which represents the boards of most second level schools.

JMB general secretary George O’Callaghan said the schools concerned include Catholic and Church of Ireland boarding schools, many of which have students from overseas.

“They would prefer to close on the Friday before other schools to allow more time for some students who have further to travel home,” he said.

Under the standardised year for 2004/2005, the Department of Education has told all schools they must remain open until Wednesday, December 22, and re-open on Monday, January 10.

A department spokesperson said last night that officials will respond to the JMB proposal at the next meeting of the Teachers Conciliation Council early next month.

However, it is believed that the Department of Education may not look favourably on the request as it would represent a major exemption from the standard year.

Education Minister Noel Dempsey made clear that he would not allow any exceptions to the rules when he sent inspectors to check that the country’s 4,000 primary and second level remained open until the designated date before last Christmas.

The difficulties in reaching agreement on the issue, a condition of the Sustaining Progress national wage agreement, delayed payment of salary increases to the country’s 45,000 school teachers earlier this year.