Reduce summer break to 5 weeks and allow flexible school holidays

Background

Reduce the summer holiday from 6 to 5 weeks and allow schools to use the extra week flexibly during the academic year, outside exam periods and excluding Years 10 and 11 to allow full exam prep.

Additional details

The six-week summer holiday is difficult for working parents to manage and costly for families. It can also make returning to school harder, especially for children with neurodiversities. A five-week summer break with a flexible week would ease childcare pressures, allow families to holiday outside peak times, and support smoother transitions for children back into school.