AS we close in on the end of another school year, teachers, pupils, parents, support staff and others involved in education face the long summer break with contrasting views.

The six-week holiday has, for some time now, been a bone of contention with educationalists nationwide. Despite attempts to change the current situation, one that has been in place for over a century, we still close our schools for an extended period of time during the summer, subjecting many parents with work/life juggling acts at the mercy of the travel-industry hike in holiday costs.

What would be most desirable, from an educator's point of view is to spread the school holidays throughout the year, so that children are not away from school for very long periods of time.

Three to four weeks in the summer and then two-week holiday periods, where the current breaks are, would make it more manageable, allow the flexibility for parents to take holidays at different times of the year and prevent the regression in academic standards that occurs after prolonged absence.

This could only happen if all schools in any one area of the country agreed to coordinate term times, thereby avoiding conflict and clashes between children in the same family at different schools.

As a small Academy Trust, we at The Shropshire Gateway Trust have agreed our term dates and staff training dates for the next academic year. This will allow much more collaborative work and sharing of good practice to take place.

It would be fantastic if we were able to agree the same dates with the rest of our local schools.