Haverhill and Bury St Edmunds parents tell SuffolkNews they welcome more consultation over Unity Schools Partnership’s two-week October half-term

A parent has told how she has been forced to take unpaid leave from work due to the extended October break that has been brought in at her child’s school.

Amy Hollis, from Haverhill, is among parents who were opposed to Unity Schools Partnership’s proposal to increase the October half-term break from one week to two, which is going ahead this year on a pilot basis across its schools.

Amy, 42, whose six-year-old daughter attends Unity’s Coupals Primary Academy, in Haverhill, said she and her husband had managed to cover the break with the help of family and by taking some unpaid leave from work, but the situation was ‘not at all ideal’.

“It’s just that juggle really of trying to work and [cover] childcare,” she said. “Times are different now. Both parents, to have any sort of life, need to have some work really to make ends meet.”

Of the unpaid leave, Amy, who works for a building company, said: “It’s a conversation you don’t want to have. It’s just lucky they are understanding really.”

Unity had said an added benefit of the change could be a more affordable holiday during the second week, but Amy said: “Who wants to go away in October? It’s coming on to Christmas and you need every spare penny you can and the gas and electricity in the winter means you are using it more.

“Money is tight in the winter, especially in the winter. It’s tight anyway.”

A Bury St Edmunds parent, whose daughter attends Unity school Abbots Green Academy, said she had been forced to take an extra week of annual leave to cover the second week.

The parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said she had generally been in favour of a two-week break, although this was on the proviso the school would make efforts to offer childcare for the extra week. However, she said it became apparent a holiday club would only be available at the school for the first week.

While on the one hand, she gets to spend that week off with her child, she said on the other, the second week falls at a time when many tourist attractions have already closed for the year.

She added: “Without support from the school to offer childcare in that 'problem' second week of half-term, I feel this policy has a very negative impact on working and single-parent families and serves more to fulfil the desires of school staff."

She said that first week is less of a problem as holiday clubs and paid childcare are widely available around Bury for the 'normal' half-term break.

Both this parent and Amy said they welcomed further consultation, which Unity has said will take place in the spring term ahead of deciding whether to make this change permanent.

A Unity spokesman said: “The decision to have a two-week break followed a consultation with parents and staff where a majority of both parents and staff agreed with the proposal.

“One of the main reasons it was proposed was to look at reducing traditionally high absence rates in the second half of the autumn term and also as a way of addressing the recruitment challenges for both teaching and classroom support staff.

“By adding five days to the October half-term, we believe this will impact positively on the physical, emotional and mental health of our staff and pupils, and decrease absence during this term.

“However, as it is the first time we have done this, we have decided to review how it goes and ask parents and staff their views again in the spring term. We will then decide whether to make this break a permanent feature of the school year.”