Eastern Learning Alliance (ELA), which runs Impington Village College, are recommending that the shorter calendar of teaching days introduced in 2024/5 should continue next year.
In a trial during the current academic year, October half term was extended by two days and the Christmas holiday began mid-December. A survey across the Academy Trust’s schools saw 86% of staff and 78% of students support the changes, but only 59% of parents.
In 2025/6, half term will run from 23 October to 3 November and the autumn term will end 12 December. ELA say they have “plans in place to ensure that they work with parents to provide age-appropriate childcare opportunities for those who need support with this.”
Replacement
ELA’s vision is that the teaching hours lost due to the changes – described as “disaggregated” time – will be used to provide “enhanced extra-curricular and intervention offers” outside of the normal school day, spread across the school year. Each school in the Trust is developing its own plans as to how best to use this time.
“Academic interventions” in the form of one-to-one and small group provision to boost the core curriculum outside of the school day, will be part of the programme.
ELA explains: “As these taught sessions do not currently form part of teachers’ directed time, we rely on teaching staff volunteering to run them.”
This means the schools are unable to “consistently staff the sessions, guarantee the provision to those who need it, or robustly monitor the delivery of these sessions.”
ELA has also “committed to offering sector-leading [extra-curricular] programmes”, including sport, and to making these offers as inclusive as possible.
Final decision
The trial will run for the full academic year 2024/25.
As well as looking at staff, student and parental feedback, it will include analysis of student and staff attendance, staff recruitment and retention, Governor monitoring reports, the nature and extent of academic interventions and extra-curricular activity, and student outcomes – based on data to be collated in August 2025.
Following the publication of those student outcomes, a decision will be made with regards to future academic years.
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