It is common knowledge that the three closing Schools making the Academy will be closing a week early for the summer holidays and the Academy won’t be open to pupils until two weeks after the other Schools in town, taking an extra three weeks out of the normal School year. Pupils going in to years 10 & 11 are already at a disadvantage with all the turmoil without losing even more time. So why, if the management are so adamant that all is progressing well, do they need these extra weeks?

Why is the time not being taken from summer holidays to ‘get organised’? Let’s face it, most of us won’t have a three week break through the summer, never mind over six weeks! The management seem to think it can’t mess a few teachers plans up over the summer but it is fine to create headaches for hundreds of parents trying to make sure their kids are looked after for an extra three weeks over the summer break!

Are they going to provide any help for parents that are not able to home? Are they going to provide meals and the like for parents that are working? Everybody accepts the normal holidays and makes arrangements to suit, but an extra three weeks is going to be a nightmare for some of the people we have spoken to.

On top of this it is a requirement for Secondary Schools to be open for 190 days a year, with 5 non teaching days, usually called inset days bringing the total to 195 days a year for teachers.

‘Any school in England must by law meet for 380 half-day sessions (190 days) in each year, unless it is prevented from meeting (e.g. by a domestic emergency such as a flood or fire, by bad weather etc). Schools must make up lost days where it is reasonably practicable.’

Unless the creation of the Academy is classed as an emergency then these days cannot be lost. This means it is illegal to close Parkview, Thorncliffe & Alfred Barrow for the five days this term. It is also illegal for the Academy NOT to make up the missing 10 days, from September before July next year. This means that either the Academy operates illegally or it cancels some of the standard holidays throughout the next year. The holidays that many parents have already book trips on. Again if this were to happen, and we doubt they will before you start to worry, this messes with hundreds of parents plans not a few staff.

If the whole thing was planned and implemented properly then these closed days would not be needed. The Academy cannot legally take these 10 days away from your childs education. The current Schools cannot legally take those 5 days out of this term either, any attempt to close the schools early is an illegal act also.

Once again the people in Cumbria County Council think that they are above the law by short changing our children out of the education they are entitled to, and messing parent around rather than messing with the holidays of a few staff. If those staff were that passionate about this plan going ahead then surely they could rearrange a few days away on holiday to make it work!