Leicester Secular Society calls for a ‘fixed’ Easter School holiday

This year the Easter weekend starts on 29 March, next year it will be 18th April and in 2026 it will be on 3rd April. This ‘moveable feast’ can vary by more than a month from March 22 at the earliest to April 25 at the latest.

This variation in the length of school terms can play havoc in schools resulting in less time in school immediately prior to external examinations. In Leeds, the school Easter holiday has been fixed since 2010. The two week Easter holiday in Leeds has always taken place during the first two full weeks in April, regardless of when Easter falls on the calendar. Now the Welsh government is consulting on decoupling the school spring break from the Easter public holiday in Wales.

It seems nonsensical that the school terms in Leicester and Leicestershire are structured around Christian observances. According to the 2021 census, Christianity is not the majority religion in either Leicester or Leicestershire (24.7% Leicester, 45.7% Leicestershire) In a diverse city like Leicester, structuring the school term around Christian observances is especially inappropriate.

The Easter Act 1928 was intended to fix the date of the Easter day as the first Sunday after the second Saturday in April. Despite receiving the Royal assent it has never been implemented. This is because Christians have been unable to reach consensus on a fixed date. In 1939, the Home Secretary, Samuel Hoare, told Parliament: 

“I am afraid it is impossible to bring the Easter Act into force until there is agreement amongst the religious communities, and there appears to be no immediate prospect of such agreement.”

Despite falling church numbers and a growth in the observance of other religious faiths and those of no religion, the inability of successive governments to do something as simple as fix the date of a public holiday is indicative of the continued impact of religion on British life.

For this reason the Leicester Secular Society is calling on the City and County Councils to follow the example of Leeds and implement spirit the 1928 Easter Act by fixing the Easter school holidays.

Here is the NSS webpage on this issue

This response has been received from Deborah Taylor, Deputy Leader of Leicestershire County Council.

Thank you for your email and attached letter.

In order to change our term patterns we are required to consult. Our current term pattern runs until 2026/2027. We will go out to consult early on in 2025.

When setting the proposed term patterns there are a number of considerations we need to make. These include local holiday patterns, length of terms, and the impact of term patterns on attendance, teaching, and learning.

We can consider the points in the letter alongside the other considerations that need to be made when setting out proposals for a term pattern for consultation.