EU school calendar differences highlighted

While many parents curse the length of the summer holidays, our schools appear to open roughly as long as those in most other European countries.

A report for European Commission education network Eurydice shows the school holidays for every EU country and six others.

In Ireland, schools have freedom to begin and end the school year when they wish, as long as they meet the minimum required number of days, 183 for primary schools and 167 for secondary. But since 2004, the Christmas, Easter and mid-term breaks are set for all schools to allow for greater planning by families, with flexibility allowed for local arrangements.