Plaid Cymru has ruled out supporting reform of the school year if new school terms clash with the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show or the National Eisteddfod of Wales.
The Welsh Government has set out an intention to consider reforming the school year with the aim of spreading school holidays more evenly throughout the year. However, concerns have been raised that this could mean a clash between school term times in Wales and the Royal Welsh Show, which takes place towards the end of July each year, and the National Eisteddfod which takes place during the first week of August.
Ben Lake MP and Elin Jones MS met with members of the RWAS Ceredigion Advisory Committee on Thursday (8 February) to discuss the potential impact of any school term changes on the Royal Welsh Show.
Elin Jones MS said:
“I’d like to thank the members of the RWAS Ceredigion Advisory Committee for meeting with us and for sharing their views with us. We’ve yet to see any final recommendations, and no final decision has been made and so it is important that all views are taken into consideration as part of this initial consultation.”
Ben Lake MP said:
“I agree witth my Plaid Cymru colleagues in the Senedd that any changes to the school holidays must ensure that they do not impact upon the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show or the National Eisteddfod.
“Both are key events in the calendar, and make an invaluable economic, social, and cultural contribution to life in Wales. School pupils and staff should not be deprived of the opportunity to attend these events due to an arbitrary choice of dates for the new school year.”
