Schools setting their own term times would cause chaos for families booking holidays and not lead to cheaper holidays, claims teachers’ union.
From September 2015, all schools will be able to decide their own term dates, under plans for more school autonomy, rather than being set by the council. Academies are already allowed to do this.
Its aim is to allow schools and teachers more even blocks of working and could see more state schools switching from the long, six-week summer holidays.
But the National Union of Teachers says it will cause problems for families with children in different schools.
And it claims holiday firms will just extend the peak booking period to cover all dates.
Christine Blower, head of the NUT, said: "Holiday companies will almost certainly just expand the period over which they charge premium rates so there will be no benefit to families, or indeed the general public who will have fewer weeks of less expensive holidays."
An education department spokesman said: "It is right that all schools are free to set their own term dates in the interests of parents and pupils."
Schools would still have to operate within a legal limit of a minimum of 190 school days each year.
