Mixed grades for uniform school dates

Excellent, or could do better? How do parents of school-goers assess the first standardised half-term? Rosita Boland reports

Whenever changes occur, one outcome is always predictable: not everyone will be happy. The standardisation of the school year means most children last week made a collective homeward-bound scamper. But there were exceptions - including some national schools which are last to fall into line with the new streamlined system.

The set number of schooldays a year for second level is 167, and 183 for primary level. Until now it was up to individual schools how they allocated their holiday periods, but from now on schools are taking a week's mid-term break in February and October, and Christmas holidays begin on December 22nd, running up to January 10th.

"We are particularly unhappy with Christmas holidays starting so late," says Eleanor Petrie, president of the National Parents' Council, for second level pupils. "You only have your children for two days before Christmas for the build-up to it. You'd want your children to be off earlier. The holidays are mostly now happening after Christmas, when parents are gone back to work.

"And we're also unhappy with Easter: we'd prefer two full weeks rather than 10 days. Parents don't want to be faced with part of a week. It's easier to make arrangements for childcare, or to take holidays, for a full week. Children mess at school when they know they're only there for part of a week."

Petrie also points out that some boarding schools, such as St Columba's College, Clongowes, Glenstal and King's Hospital, are six-day teaching schools, which have always taught on Saturdays. Several of their pupils have families living outside the State, so traditionally they have used those extra built-up days for extended Christmas and Easter holidays, allowing pupils longer time to go home overseas. No special provision has yet been arranged for such schools. "One size does not fit all," says Petrie.

Murt Francis teaches Science and Maths at Wexford's Christian Brothers Secondary School. "I think standardisation takes flexibility out of schools," he says.

"We wanted local standardisation, so if some major event was going on in the town, all the schools would get off at the same time. That can't be done on national standardisation."

Francis's school traditionally took a fortnight's holidays at Easter. "That would have been to facilitate the Brothers, who always went on retreat for two weeks at Easter. Times have changed now, of course." Personally, Francis would prefer to have a longer break at Easter, when the days are brighter, than at Christmas.

Mary McDonnell, a working mother who lives in Artane, has three schoolgoing children: twins aged 16 and a 12-year-old. "I think standardisation is a good idea, but it should be done on a regional basis. If something is unique to an area, like races, then local schools should be able to get time off for them, and make up those days at other times of the year. School holidays shouldn't be written in stone; it is very, very rigid now," she says.

McDonnell points out that "July and August were always the dearest time of the year for \ holidays because they knew all children were off school. Now that the mid-term breaks are fixed, the tour operators will have those weeks earmarked for price increases. Before this, there was a bit of flexibility with mid-terms, because different schools had different holidays, but now everyone in the tourist industry knows when the holidays are."

Regina Glynn lives in Mallow, works part-time, and has four children, aged 15, 14, 11 and nine. "I think standardisation is a good idea. We're not big into foreign holidays, so going away at those times wouldn't be an issue to us anyway," she says.

Úna Manning has five children, three of whom, aged 16, 13, and five, are still at school. The family live in Rathowen, Co Westmeath, and she works part-time. "For us as a family, it is fantastic. Living in a rural area, when schools were off at different times, we didn't always have a bus run at those times; we had to provide transport ourselves. We won't have to do that again."

Her daughter Katie (13), makes the point that all her friends in other schools are now off at the same time, so they can make arrangements to see each other during that time, which is important in a rural area.

Manning is also involved in helping out with sports clubs and activities with children locally.

"Standardisation for us means that now we plan our whole sporting year, and organise rallies knowing everyone is around; our time off is co-ordinated. I give standardisation thumbs-up all around. Living in the country - it's the only place to be!"