Clarke backs six-term school year

Education Secretary Charles Clarke today gave his backing to proposals to break up the school year into six terms.

But he is already facing the threat of industrial action from unhappy teachers.

The change is being pioneered in a number of English education authorities, including Essex, where members of the NASUWT teaching union have already indicated support for strike action.

The union is now considering a formal ballot.

More than 100 councils in England will be considering over the next six weeks whether to reorganise the school year, starting from September 2005.

Last year, the Local Government Association recommended a new system, breaking the school year down into six roughly equal terms.

All existing half-term breaks would be increased to two weeks; Easter would become a fixed break in the first half of April instead of one which varied according to the calendar, and the summer holiday would be up to a week shorter.

Essex, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Isle of Wight, North Somerset, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Lincolnshire have all decided to introduce versions of the new system from this September; a further 40 authorities have taken decisions in principle for September 2005.

Charles Clarke said today he thought more balanced terms and holidays a "good thing", giving children less chance to forget newly-acquired knowledge.