Leicestershire's education boss has said the council is looking to "get the right balance" with parents as it proposes major changes to term times in the county.

Tim Browne, interim director of education at Leicestershire County Council spoke out after new proposals by the Leicester City Council and the county council could see the loss of the 'Leicestershire fortnight' summer break between autumn 2027 to summer 2032.

Traditionally, Leicester and Leicestershire have broken up much earlier than other parts of the country, allowing parents to get cheaper holidays. However, preferred proposals by the two authorities could see schools break up only one week earlier than usual, rather than two.

The other proposals include a similarly shorter summer break and an extended autumn half-term break, which takes place a few days later. The latter proposal would stick to the current term timings.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) about the plans, Mr Browne said the council was looking at changes in a bid to reduce the number of child protection referrals and differing term lengths throughout the year.

He said: "What we've found is that the longer summer break, we not only see a rise in child protection referrals, but it also results in lost learning because of the amount of time children are out of education".

He said that the council found that "children really seem to struggle with sickness and tiredness" with the longer autumn terms, with the new preferred proposals by the county council looking to reduce the autumn term and extend the autumn break by another week.

Currently, children have only one week off during the autumn half-term, with plans to extend it by a week.

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Mr Browne said that "children really seem to struggle" with the longer terms, and it was "difficult" for some families who have children who have different terms over county boundaries.

He added: "This finds a really good balance between all the different options. One proposal is the traditional Leicestershire approach, and I really want to hear what families think and if their preferences have changed".

Mr Browne was asked if Leicestershire was an outlier regarding child protection referrals; he said he believed it was a "national issue".

He was also asked if he thought the proposals would mean parents would lose out on cheaper summer holidays by reducing the summer break by a week.

He said: "I'm really keen to support families to be able to access cheap holidays and the preferred option allows families to go away earlier than other counties which is really good news.

"It also gives them the opportunity of a cheap break in the autumn half-term as well because we'll have that longer period of holiday time.

"I think it balances both the Leicestershire traditional approach and will address the concerns educators tend to have and the difficulties families sometimes have".

Mr Browne said he didn't want parents to be "concerned" by the changes and the council was in "listening mode".

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He added: "I'm really keen that the term dates going forward reflect what suit families the best.

"Of course, one proposal is the historic traditional Leicestershire approach in Leicestershire. It's always good to make sure we're listening, and we've got it right".

The consultation will run from April 20 to May 31 and will be conducted primarily via an online survey. The city council is also expected to run a similar consultation at the same time.

A Leicester City Council spokesperson said: "We will be consulting on proposed changes to term times at the same time as the county council, with this due to begin from Monday 20 April.

"People will be asked for their views on the same three options, with our preferred option also aligning with the county.

"This will still mean that Leicester schools break for the summer holiday a week earlier than the rest of the country and we understand how important that is to local families.

"However, it is important that we consider a range of options for autumn and summer breaks and balance school terms in a way that best supports curriculum delivery and pupil engagement."