STIRLING Council has launched a consultation on the changing of school holiday dates.

The Council is considering changing the existing provision of seven weeks holiday in the summer and one in October, to six weeks in the summer and two in October. No change will be made to school schedules before 2022/23.

The consultation was agreed at a meeting of the Children and Young People Committee last week and is open to all pupils, parents, parent councils and school based staff.

The survey will be available via the Stirling Council consultation webpage and details will be issued to all schools, parents and Parent Councils so that they can complete the questionnaire.

Several councils in Scotland already adopt this holiday date model and start the new academic year a week earlier than Stirling, with a two week October break.

Schools in neighbouring Falkirk and Clackmannanshire are also undertaking the consultation at the same time and all of the results will be presented to the respective council committees later this year.

Convenor of the Children and Young People Committee, Councillor Susan McGill, said: “This consultation will give the school community a chance to have their say on whether the current summer holiday break, traditionally seven weeks, is too long.

“A number of parents have voiced these thoughts over the years, and it has also been suggested that reducing the summer holiday period would help to address food poverty related matters, as not all children benefit from free school meals during the summer holiday.”

Vice Convenor, Councillor Christine Simpson, said: “Given that our neighbouring Councils in Falkirk and Clackmannanshire are also undertaking similar reviews regarding school holiday dates, now is an appropriate time to ask parents and other interested parties what their preference would be with regards to school holiday provision.”