PARENTS in East Lancashire are facing not being able to go on holiday with their children during the 2016 Easter holiday due to a conflict of term dates.

Families with children at primary schools and secondary schools in Blackburn with Darwen and the Lancashire County Council could be forced to stay at home because the term dates do not match between schools.

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Some primary schools will close for the Easter bank holiday weekend, Friday, March 25, to Monday, March 28, before re-opening and then closing again for the two-week holiday on Friday, April 8.

However, some secondary schools will close on Thursday, March 24 for Easter and will not re-open until Monday, April 11.

The term dates could leave parents being forced to choose between not going on holiday or taking their children out of school and facing a fine.

Daisyfield Primary School in Blackburn, for example, will take the Bank Holiday off and then the pupils will return to school before taking the two-week holiday from Friday, April 8.

However, St Bede’s Catholic High School breaks up on Thursday, March 24, and does not return until Monday, April 11.

Not all schools have conflicting term dates however such as Pleckgate High School which will take the Bank Holiday off and then the two weeks from Friday, April 8, which marries up with some nearby primary schools.

Cllr Dave Harling, Blackburn with Darwen Council’s executive member for education and schools, said: “Blackburn with Darwen Council has responsibility for setting the school holiday pattern for community or voluntary controlled schools.

“It does this after consulting with schools, governors and neighbouring local authorities.

“The dates used for consultation with schools in 2015/2016 in Blackburn with Darwen were the dates that Lancashire had agreed and published.

“It was recognised at the time that by taking the dates that had been agreed would lead to the least disruption for families with siblings in other schools outside our immediate borders.

“For voluntary aided and foundations schools, the governing body sets the holiday pattern, and despite recommending the Blackburn with Darwen dates to those schools it was for individual schools to agree a pattern to adopt.

“The picture is complicated further by additional flexibilities afforded to free schools and academies who can set a pattern without reference to the local authority.”

Lancashire County Council’s cabinet member for children, young people and schools, Cllr Matthew Tomlinson, said: “The Deregulation Act 2015 proposed that community and voluntary controlled schools should have the flexibility to set their own framework for term times and holidays.

“The governing body of each school has the final responsibility to agree the dates for term times and holiday arrangements.

“Any parents with issues regarding the holiday dates set should raise their concerns with the head teacher and the governing body.”