Austin Currie
Ceist:710 Mr. Currie asked the Minister for Education and Science if he has a policy for the standardisation of school holidays, including mid-term breaks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8516/02]
Written Answers. - School Holidays.
There are no plans at present to introduce new procedures for dealing with schools' timetabling arrangements.
School authorities are obliged to ensure that schools adhere to the prescribed minimum number of teaching days per annum. At primary level, the minimum number of teaching days per school year is 183, while at second level, schools are required to be open for teaching for 167 days. Subject to the requirement in the primary sector that the schools must close for the months of July and August, the choice of vacation days on which schools will be closed is a matter for individual boards of management or vocational education committees, which are charged with the direct governance of schools.
In order to guarantee that its school is in operation for the prescribed minimum number of days, each managerial authority, in planning the school year, must make allowance for days on which the school may have to be closed due to unforeseen or exceptional circumstances.
In the circumstances I consider that school authorities should therefore retain discretion in this matter. However I would urge all school authorities to liaise with neighbouring schools in planning the school year so that, in so far as is possible, schools serving a particular area would be open for broadly similar periods.