Primary, secondary schools get same terms

Steve Maharey

A move to align primary and secondary school terms next year is being welcomed by the teachers' union.

Education Minister Steve Maharey announced yesterday that primary school holidays between terms one and two would now be a full two weeks.

Primary schools' first term would still end on April 5. The second term would begin a week later and would now start on April 23. This was the same for secondary schools.

Mr Maharey said he had listened to parents, schools and education sector groups who said the planned April break for primary schools was too short.

The change applied to next year only.

There would be further consultation about term dates for 2008 and beyond.

The New Zealand Education Institute (NZEI) said many primary school pupils were missing school because their holiday at the end of term one was shorter than secondary schools.

"The misalignment of primary and secondary term breaks, particularly at the end of term one, is causing problems for primary schools," Irene Cooper, national president of NZEI, said.

"NZEI is pleased that the concerns expressed by primary principals and teachers about their term breaks have been listened to," she said.

Term dates for 2007 will be:

Primary, intermediate and secondary schools terms one to three.

* Term one: Wednesday, February 7 to Thursday, April 5

* Term two: Monday, April 23 to Friday, June 29

* Term three: Monday, July 16 to Friday, September 21.

* Term four: Primary and intermediate: Monday, October 8 to Thursday, December 20 or Friday, December 21, depending on whether provincial anniversary days were in term time. Secondary: Monday, October 8 to Friday, December 14.

- NZPA