The traditional six-week summer holiday for school children could be slashed in Wales under fresh proposals to transform the school year calendar that have been called ‘disruptive’, ‘bewildering’ and an ‘act of folly’ by teaching unions.

A Welsh Government consultation opened on 21 November on changing the school calendar, so breaks are spread out more evenly.

The moves would include reducing the six-week summer break to five weeks while adding an extra week to the half-term autumn break from 2025 – with extra plans that could see the summer holiday cut again to four weeks by moving another week to the Whitsun holiday at a later date.

The Welsh Government said: “The current school calendar means that the autumn term is longer than others.

“Research suggests this term is tiring and challenging for learners and staff, as more teaching is squeezed into this term than any other.

“The number of days of school holidays and teaching days will not change.

“Some pupils, especially those from financially disadvantaged backgrounds and those with Additional Learning Needs (ALN), find it difficult to get back to learning after long summer breaks.

“Because the summer break is long, time in the autumn term has to be devoted to going over things rather than advancing learning.

“Teachers also report more behavioural and well-being issues after the summer break.”

“Teachers and pupils will still get 13 weeks of break, but some will be moved so they happen when they provide the most benefit.”

The Welsh Government said the changes “would be made from September 2025, meaning schools would get a two-week break in October 2025 and a five-week summer break in 2026”, with unions raising concerns that putting a date on the changes suggests that a decision has already been made.

Research conducted for the Welsh Government in 2022 found that evidence in relation to changing the school year was “mixed and inconclusive”.

Laura Doel, national secretary of NAHT Cymru, said: “We are bewildered as to why this consultation is taking place.

“No evidence has yet been presented that changing the school year would have any educational benefit for learners.

“And the previous consultation on this subject showed there was no real appetite for change, from parents, educators, businesses or the general public.

“So why is this continuing to be pushed as a priority right now?

“NAHT Cymru firmly believes that the basis of any reform should ensure the best provision and outcomes for learners.

“In fact, the little evidence available on school holidays shows that countries with much longer summer breaks than Wales have higher levels of attainment and suffer no significant loss of learning.

“With so much going on in schools right now, with a new curriculum, ALN reform, and severe recruitment and retention and funding crises, this just isn’t a priority for schools.

“Welsh Government would be better served in focusing on providing support to teachers and learners, and helping schools deliver current reforms, before embarking on any further changes to education.

“When school staff are being made redundant to balance the books, when schools should be prioritising delivering quality education to learners, and when we are deeply concerned about the recruitment and retention crisis, this should not be a priority for government.

“Additionally, we are concerned to see the inclusion of an implementation date in this consultation – it seems to beg the question whether this is a true consultation, or has the government made up its mind already?”

What the school calendar looks like now

Autumn term from September to December

Spring term from January to March/April

Summer term from April to July

What the Welsh Government would like to do

Stage 1 from 2025:

Autumn term from September to December

Spring term from January to March/April

Summer term from April to July

Stage 2 at a later date:

Autumn term from September to December

Spring term from January to March/April

Summer term from April to July

Eithne Hughes, director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, said: “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.”

Emma Forrest, NEU assistant general secretary regions, Wales said: “NEU is disappointed that the Welsh Government has chosen this time to propose changes to the pattern of the school year, it’s a really difficult time in education and the education workforce have seen significant periods of change in order to implement the new curriculum and significant additional learning needs and reform.

“Welsh Government needs to create a clear rationale for reform. Any changes need to be evidenced based and ensure the wellbeing of the workforce.

“Any changes will also need to show how they would benefit children and young people in their learning.

“NEU Cymru will be consulting with our members over the proposals.”

Dr Patrick Roach, general secretary of NASUWT – the Teachers’ Union, said: “There has already been an examination of this issue and it was not supported by the profession or the public.

“There is no evidence to indicate that such changes would address the fundamental problems affecting education in Wales.

“The Welsh government are flogging a dead horse.”

Neil Butler, NASUWT national official for Wales, said: “Teachers in Wales will be concerned that once again, the Welsh government are attacking the school summer holiday – which is amongst the shortest in Europe.

“They need the Welsh Government to deal with the serious workload and learner behaviour issues in schools.

“The Welsh Government seem to have totally lost their sense of direction in education.”

The consultation “will also explore additional changes that could be taken forward in the future, but not from 2025.”

Those changes include the option of moving a second week from the summer break and adding it to the Whitsun break “to help make terms similar lengths and make the summer term more consistent”.

In that case, GCSE and A-level results days could happen in the same week and “would also make the spring term more even and easier to plan for.”

The two-week break in the spring always coincides with Easter, which moves around.

Keeping the spring break at a constant midpoint and separating it from Easter would make the term “more consistent,” the Welsh Government said.

The pattern of the school year and day has been the subject of debate for many years, and has been the subject of reviews in 2017 and 2019 alongside informal consultations on what a new school year could look like.

Reforming the school year is one of the commitments in the Welsh Government’s co-operation agreement with Plaid Cymru.

Jeremy Miles, the minister for education and Welsh language said: “The long summer break can be a real strain.

“Families struggle to find childcare over the six weeks, and others struggle with the additional costs long summers bring.

“We also know our most disadvantaged learners suffer the most ‘learning loss’ from a long summer.

“There are plenty of examples of local authorities across the UK changing their school calendar to suit local needs.

“We want to make sure education works best for pupils, teachers, and families.

“We’re looking for people’s views on these changes and what it would mean for them.”

Plaid Cymru designated member Sian Gwenllian said: “The current school calendar was designed a long time ago, under very different circumstances and we are suggesting changes that could work better for everyone, but most importantly for pupils of all ages.

“Many children and young people, especially those with additional learning needs and those from lower income families find the break very long, impacting negatively on their wellbeing and education.

“These proposals address that while still allowing the same amount of holidays throughout the year including a substantial summer holiday whilst also providing a longer break during the autumn half-term.”

Jason Elsom, the chief executive of Parentkind, said that its recent poll of 6,800 parents in Wales “support a move to spread school holidays more evenly across the year, with 72 per cent of lower income families in favour.”

“It is fair to say that the current concentration of school holidays in the summer months results in inflated childcare and family holiday costs, compounding the challenges faced during the cost-of-living crisis,” he said.

“Most importantly this impacts the life experiences and chances of the most vulnerable of children. We are pleased to see this consultation by the Welsh Government.”