Unity Schools Partnership schools, including County High School and Sybil Andrews Academy in Bury St Edmunds, could see October half-term break extended

The October half-term break may be extended by a week across around 30 Suffolk schools under plans that are currently out for consultation.

Unity Schools Partnership is asking parents and carers what they think of its proposal to increase the October half- term holiday across all of its schools.

This includes Bury St Edmunds County High School, Sybil Andrews Academy, also in Bury St Edmunds, Breckland School in Brandon, Castle Manor Academy and Samuel Ward Academy, both in Haverhill, Newmarket Academy, and Thomas Gainsborough School in Sudbury.

Unity's primary schools include Abbots Green Academy in Bury St Edmunds, Tollgate Primary School, also in the town, Wickhambrook Primary Academy, near Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill, and Kedington Primary Academy, near Haverhill.

Each school has been asked to consider how they will make up the time during the rest of the academic year and there have been a variety of responses from each school across the trust.

Abbots Green Academy is proposing to add 10 minutes to the end of each school day, while Bury St Edmunds County High School is suggesting adding five minutes to the start and five minutes to the end.

The responses are being collated in an online form that will be closed on March 13, with the trust planning to make a decision on term dates for the academic year 2023-2024 by the end of March.

Unity believes the plans will support recruitment of the very best staff, but mostly could reduce absence rates in the autumn term, when viruses are prevalent, among staff and pupils.

A spokesperson for Unity Schools Partnership said: “Across Unity Schools Partnership, we recognise that our greatest asset is our staff. They all play an incredibly important and influential role in ensuring our children receive the education they deserve, day in day out.

“The good health and wellbeing of staff is essential to the education of our pupils. 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.

“An added benefit of this strategy is that it creates a second week, during which staff and pupils’ families can take a more affordable holiday.”

These proposed changes will not affect Central Team support staff.