Decision

School holiday dates have been
consulted upon with schools, neighbouring LAs, and relevant trade
unions, and are aligned with South Yorkshire LAs. Regional guiding
principles have been used as far as possible to determine the
dates.

Reasons for the decision

Having reviewed various options
for the term dates for academic year 2027-28, the Yorkshire and
Humber guiding principles were applied as far as possible, and upon
liaising with other neighbouring LAs, schools and trade unions, the
recommended option was to start the academic year on Wednesday
1st September 2027. 
 
In discussion with schools and
unions, the main concerns are aligning with other LAs to support
teaching and school staff. The proposed dates are aligned with
Sheffield, Rotherham, and Doncaster.
 
Barnsley Primary cluster leads
and Secondary headteachers were consulted, along with regional LAs,
NASUWT and NEU teaching union representatives.  The outcome from consultation with schools was
split evenly with no consensus.
 
The recommendation is to start
on Wednesday 1st September as this is the preferred
option of the relevant trade unions and aligns with other South Yorkshire LAs.

Alternative options considered

An alternative option was to
start the school year on Monday 6th September, however
this would create a 7 week summer break that would be out of line
with South Yorkshire LAs. Alignment with other LAs is a key concern
across stakeholders. It would also mean a longer Summer break,
which may impact our most vulnerable children.