Eithne Hughes, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, responds to the launch of a consultation on changing the school calendar in Wales.
“There are many issues which need to be addressed in our schools – lack of sufficient funding, teacher shortages, high levels of pupil absence, a rising tide of mental health concerns, and unsustainable workloads. The school calendar, however, is not one of those issues.
“There is no chorus for change from parents or staff, and adjustments to a well-established calendar are likely to be extremely disruptive. We simply do not understand why this matter is being treated as a priority by the Welsh government. It is an act of folly.”