The council sets the standard term and holiday dates for community, community special and maintained nursery schools in the borough. Lambeth is seeking feedback from residents and stakeholder on whether the school dates should remain as they are or change to better support families, pupils and schools.
While community schools must follow the dates set by the council, voluntary aided, foundation, foundation special schools and academies set their own term dates through their governing bodies or trustees. Term dates must also follow national rules set by the Department for Education and take account of exam timetables.
Andrew Carter, Corporate Director for Children, Families and Education, said: “We want to give parents more flexibility and the opportunity to tell us if the current school dates suit them or not. This is a great opportunity to have your say on this matter, so I urge you to complete the survey.
The feedback from the survey will be summarised and will go through the council’s decision-making process, as well as helping us inform future proposals”
By law, schools must meet a 195-day school year. This includes 190 days when pupils attend school and five professional training days for staff (also known as INSET days).
Following formal approval, the agreed dates will be published on the Council’s website and shared with schools and academies.
The survey is open for six weeks, from 27 March to 8 May 2026. Residents can take part online at haveyoursay.lambeth.gov.uk.
