SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

Early day motion 283, tabled 22 July 2014 by Barry Sheerman (Labour). Signed by 13 members.

That this House notes that across the country, parents will be preparing for the long summer school holiday by arranging and paying for additional childcare required as a result of having a long holiday block between July and September; further notes that the timing of this and some other school holidays is based on centuries-old traditions rather than the needs of children and their parents in modern Britain; further notes that children in receipt of free school meals and from other low-income households have been proven to fall behind their peers during the long summer school holiday, exacerbating the disadvantage they already experience; and therefore calls for the calendar of school holidays to be examined with a view to being amended to better serve children, young people and families.

Signatures by party: Labour 7, Liberal Democrat 4, DUP 1, Independent 1.