Council strives to align term dates for all schools in Milton Keynes

Council chiefs have been working to align the same term dates for every school in the city to avoid king-size headaches for parents with children at different schools.

Last year parents got so fed up with the disparities between holiday dates that a petition was sent to MK City Council, urging them to coordinate the calendar.

Schools breaking up at different times for half terms and holidays can cause huge childcare issues, said the parent behind the petition, Ethan Wilkinson.

There are 114 schools in total in Milton Keynes. The problem lies in the fact that MK City Council, despite being the education authority, only has jurisdiction over 49 of them, which is 43%,

The remaining schools are academies, run by trusts, and receive funding directly from the government. They can set their own rules about term dates.

Council official have spent the past few weeks consulting with all 114 schools in a bid to align dates from September 2024. Some 89% of respondents were happy with the suggested dates and it is now hoped academy schools will follow the same structure.

Last week it was agreed the 2024 Autumn term will begin in all council schools on September 3 and finish on December 20. Half term will be between October 25 and November 4.

The Spring term will start on January 6 2025 and end on April 4, with half term between February 14 and February 24. The Easter holiday will be from April 4 to April 22 then Summer term will run until July 23, with half term between May 23 and June 2.

This provides 195 school days when only 190 term days are required by education laws. Therefore each school is now free to allocate five training days within these term dates.

But they must publish their dates clearly on their websites to ensure that parents and carers are aware of the specific dates for each individual school, says the council.

The setting of council-run school term times is a political decision and was made by Labour councillor Zoe Nolan, who is the Cabinet member for Children and Families.