PUPILS will have up to seven weeks off because some south Essex schools started their summer holidays early.

Schools including the King John School, Thundersley, Chase High School, Westcliff, and Westcliff High School for Girls broke up for the summer on Friday.

This is possible because schools hold their inset training days at the end of term, rather than being scattered throughout the year.

It means pupils get seven weeks off, while their peers at other schools, who break up this Friday, get six.

Jerry Glazier, general secretary of Essex National Union of Teachers, insisted children still got the same amount of teaching time, the only difference is when the inset days are taken.

He said: “Teachers have to work 195 school days a year but are only required to teach for 190 days so there are five inset days.

“Whenever the days are taken the impact on parents is just the same; it makes no difference to the number of days the pupils are in school for, but it just feels different for some parents.

“They still have to find the same amount of care albeit when it is in a block rather than spread out it can start to be a financial challenge.

“Schools aren’t defrauding kids of teaching days.”

He added it was important for teachers to get up-to-date, quality training and when the training days are taken is up to individual schools.

The move has divided parents, some of whom are concerned about childcare while others are grateful to have more days off in a row.

Michelle Kelleway, 36, has a five-year-old son at St Helen’s Primary School in Westcliff, who will have three days off due to staff training days before the start of term on September 6.

She said: “I prefer them to happen together as I’m a single mum who works part-time.

“I mainly use childminders and it’s easier to work it out when the days are all together.

“If you want to book a holiday it also gives you a longer time to do that, there’s not much you can do just on the odd day off.”

But Elizabeth Kelly, whose son Dominic, 13, goes to Chase High School, Westcliff, and daughter Amelia, six, goes to Earls Hall School, Westcliff, and breaks up on Thursday, said: “It’s been nice as I have another week with my son.

“But it can be a struggle for those who work to take a day off to cover an inset day let alone if you had to find an whole week of cover.”