Those, like Graham Lane (letters, June 15) who argue in favour of changing the school year have missed two important points.

The latest proposals would mean that individual schools could decide when two weeks of their holidays would come. This would mean chaos not only for parents whose children attend different schools, but also for agencies such as the police dealing with truants and not knowing whether a child found hanging round the streets should be in school or not.

Also, as any teacher knows, children do not learn well when it is hot in school and sunny outside. Reducing the summer holidays will only force more children to spend more time in boring classrooms not learning much when they could be outside enjoying what little good weather we get. This would also be likely to result in more children missing school to go on holiday in the summer.

Mark Hellen
Brockley,
London SE4nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;