Easter school holidays: Parents struggle as pupils given a month-long break
Forget the standard two-week Easter break, this year schoolchildren are set to enjoy a month of almost continuous holidays thanks to the late Easter weekend and Royal wedding Bank Holiday.Campaigners have warned that many parents will struggle with the 'chaotic' holiday arrangements as children spend as few as six days in school over a 31-day period from April 2.The Easter weekend falls outside the school holidays and is followed by a four-day weekend as the Royal wedding and May Day celebrations coincide.
Heads down: But schoolchildren will be out of school for most of April, causing problems for working parentsThe campaign group Mothers Who Work said this year's Easter break is 'like a second summer holiday' and warned that many parents will struggle to take the time off, worrying that long absences could put their jobs in jeopardy.'Parents cannot afford too much time off, fearing they could be prime targets for redundancies,' said Joycellyn Akuffo, spokesperson for the group.Some schools will start the holidays early at the beginning of April with a two-week break.
Then they are in school for four days but there is also Maundy Thursday - a holiday for some church schools - then Good Friday, followed by Easter Monday.It is then back to school for three days before they are off again for the special Royal Wedding bank holiday on Friday 29th April.The final flourish is the May Day bank holiday tagged onto the Royal Wedding weekend.
'It'ssuch a long time for them to be off.
'Thecouncils are saying it makes things easier for parents, but for full-time working mums childcare is going to be an absolute nightmare.'
- Mum Rachel Bateman
Ms Akuffo, said: 'The school calendar is hard enough to manage! for wor king parents without having these extra holiday headaches.'This holiday period will be particularly chaotic for parents who work as they try to sort out who is going to look after the kids.'With this extended Easter break combined with the cost of living, mums and dads are being put through unnecessary stress.'They are already on tenterhooks with the state of the economy and the fear of losing their jobs.'Rachel Bateman, 35, from Liverpool, says she cannot believe that the early Easter holidays have been approved by education bosses.She said: 'When I looked at the school calendar my first thought was my kids might as well not bother going to school at all in April.'It's such a long time for them to be off. It seems ridiculous just before a lot of youngsters are taking important exams like their GCSEs.'The councils are saying it makes things easier for parents, but for full-time working mums childcare is going to be an absolute nightmare.'The month of April will be a write-off.'Similarly the Federation of Small Businesses fear the abnormal amountof school holidays and bank holidays will leave many firms short staffed.FSB spokesperson Prue Watson said: 'With the large number of bank holidays in quick succession the big worry for companies is that staff will take the days in between off as well.'It is going to wreck the earning potential and cashflow for a lot ofbusiness and will have a significant impact on small companies.'This usually happens in the summer but in April it may have an adverse effect on trade - especially for firms who are not in the tourism industry.'A spokesman for the Department of Education said: 'It's unfortunate that all of these holidays have fallen so close together but it could not have been avoided.'
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