East Sussex School Term and Holiday Dates for 2021/2022

Overview

East Sussex County Council would like to know your views on the proposed school term and holiday dates for the academic year 2021/2022.  It is proposed that schools would begin the academic year on 1 September 2021 and continue through until 22 July 2022 (last day of term).

Term 1: 
*Wednesday 1 September 2021 to Friday 22 October 2021 (38 school days)

Term 2:
Monday 1 November 2021 to Friday 17 December 2021 (35 school days)

Term 3:
Tuesday 4 January 2022 to Friday 11 February 2022 (29 school days)

Term 4:
Monday 21 February 2022 to Friday 1 April 2022 (30 school days)

Term 5:
Tuesday 19 April 2022 to Friday 27 May 2022 (28 school days)

Term 6:
Monday 6 June 2022 to Friday 22 July 2022 (35 school days)

Total:  195 school days

*INSET Day

A calendar format of these dates is available to view below or can be downloaded in the 'Related' section below.

Why your views matter

The local authority (LA) has a duty to determine school term dates for local authority maintained schools.  Schools must be open for 190 days in an academic year, 195 days for teachers.  Foundation, trust, voluntary aided schools and academies are responsible for setting their own holiday dates and may choose dates that do not match those set by the LA.

A number of principles guide the pattern of terms and holidays:

• 190 days when pupils are in school (a legal requirement).
• 5 In-Service Education Training (INSET) days (a legal requirement).
  The proposal recommends a common INSET day on Wednesday 1 September 2021.  Schools decide four further training days.
• In proposing dates the LA liaises with neighbouring authorities about proposals for school term and holiday dates in their areas.  In doing this the LA seeks to ensure dates coincide where possible across borders to minimise the potential disruption and attendance issues that may arise for families with children attending different schools and school staff with children at schools in areas other than where they are working. 

We have shared our proposal with our neighbouring councils in Brighton & Hove, Kent, West Sussex and Surrey.  If authorities bordering East Sussex choose different dates, the LA will decide which to align with by prioritising the following principles:

• The need to maximise learning and revision time in the terms before SATs (Standard Attainment Tests in Year 2 and Year 6), GCSEs and post 16 exams.
• Easter and bank holiday dates.  Working parents often rely on these being part of school holidays to use annual leave efficiently.

Foundation, trust, voluntary aided schools and academies decide their own term time and holiday dates. So, there may still be variations across the county. We are including them in the consultation to unify dates across East Sussex as far as possible. Unifying dates helps to facilitate good attendance and minimises the implications for families with children who attend different schools.

Your views on the proposal for school term and holiday dates for 2021/2022 are important to us.  We welcome any suggestions on improving the school calendar in East Sussex.

To comment, click on ‘Online Survey’ below or email your comments to School.Consultations@eastsussex.gov.uk

Privacy: This consultation is anonymous, although we do ask respondents to complete an optional 'about you' section at the end. You will find more information in the relevant section. Please ensure that any comments you make don't include any names or personal details of you or anyone else. For more information about how the data will be stored and processed by East Sussex County Council please see our privacy statement.

Proposed ESCC School Holiday and Term Dates 2021/2022

What happens next

The East Sussex School term and holiday dates for the academic year 2021/2022 are published on the East Sussex County Council Website