CHILDREN on the Isle of Wight will have an extra day off at Christmas, thanks to The Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

It was announced by the government last year that a four-day holiday would be added, in June 2022, to allow the nation to come together to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's 70-year reign.

It will be the first time any British monarch has reached the milestone.

Due to the way local authorities work out school calendars, it has allowed the Isle of Wight Council to decide where to add the extra day off.

With the national celebration in June poised to fall at the end of the May half term, when children will already be on holiday, the Isle of Wight Council has agreed to add the extra day off to the start of the Christmas holidays.

The decision followed comments from schools that they would like the festive break to be longer, allowing staff and pupils a chance to recharge their batteries between the first and second terms of the school year.

Feedback on the plans to add December 22 to the Christmas break was mixed, however.

Some headteachers suggested giving schools the flexibility to choose when they could use it, while another said it should be added to the start of the summer holiday instead.

The Isle of Wight Council cabinet last night (Thursday) unanimously voted, however, to change the term time dates to the following:

  • Autumn Term: starts Tuesday, August 31 2021 and ends on Tuesday, December 21 (Half term from Monday, October 18 to Friday, October 29)
  • Spring Term: starts Tuesday, January 4 2022 and ends on Friday, April 8 (Half term from Monday, February 21 to Friday, February 25)
  • Summer Term: starts Monday, April 25 and ends on Friday, July 22 (Half term from Monday, May 30 to Friday, June 3)

With the following Bank and Public Holidays:

  • Christmas Day - 25 December 2021
  • Boxing Day - 26 December
  • New Year’s Day - 1 January 2022
  • Good Friday - 15 April
  • Easter Monday - 18 April
  • May Day Holiday - 2 May
  • Spring Bank Holiday - 2 June
  • Platinum Jubilee Holiday - 3 June
  • Summer Bank Holiday - 29 August

When will your kids be going to school in 2022-2023?