Changes to half term dates for TSAT schools including Meon Infant School and Moorings Way Infant School

The schools in question, Meon Infant School, Meon Junior School, Moorings Way Infant School and New Horizons Primary School, will now all be operating under different October half term dates. The four schools are part of the Thinking Schools Academy Trust (TSAT) which has announced that the October half term will now be two weeks rather than one.

The change means that the schools will have different October half term dates to the other schools in the area which follow Portsmouth City Council and Hampshire County Council's term dates. All of the schools that are part of the TSAT will all have the new term dates.

A spokesperson for the Trust said: “We are always considering how best to support our school communities and deliver high-quality education in everything we do. As part of this, across our schools, we have made the decision to move to a two-week October half term. “We are confident this adjustment will better support our communities with the long autumn term. It will provide sufficient time for our pupils and staff to rest, helping minimise absences due to illness, support wellbeing and ensure pupils are consistently reaching their full potential. It will also align our schools across the Trust, providing wider operational benefits.

“We will continue to work alongside our pupils and families to support the transition to this model and we encourage any parents with questions to contact their school.”

The schools that are part of the TSAT will break up for summer one week later than the existing dates so that they can have a two-week half term during October.

The alteration to the term dates has resulted in mixed reactions from parents with some arguing that it will be much harder to find appropriate childcare and half term clubs as the dates no longer correspond with the council's term times. Parents have also expressed their frustration because local attractions, businesses and play venues offer half term schemes in accordance with the authority's term dates rather than the academy's.

For more information about the TSAT, click here.