Could Angus school tattie holidays rooted in tradition be moved to fall in line with Dundee?

Education councillors are about to set Angus school term dates until 2028 and the autumn break is back in the spotlight.

By Graham Brown

May 30 2024, 6:00am

Angus tattie picking in days gone by. Image: DC Thomson

Angus schools’ tattie holiday timing is coming back under the spotlight over whether the two-week autumn break should be moved.

On Thursday, education councillors will decide the school terms for Angus youngsters until 2028.

The October tattie holidays are up for discussion.

It is almost a decade since the idea of bringing the area in line with neighbouring councils was shelved.

And Angus education chiefs say it should stay that way.

It comes after more than 60% of the responses to a school holidays consultation said the Angus dates should remain as they area.

Tattie tradition

The Angus schools’ autumn break during the first two weeks of October is rooted in youngsters going out to pick potatoes on local farms.

That may be long gone, but the timing has stayed the same.

In 2015, councillors rejected the idea of pushing it back to later in the month.

At that time it would have moved the Angus holiday period fully into the same October holiday period as English schools – peak holiday season.

And in most years the Angus autumn break begins a week earlier than neighbouring Dundee.

800 responses to holidays consultation

The council ran a two-month consultation earlier this year seeking views on the timing of all Angus school holidays.

Education director Kelly McIntosh said it returned a split of 61.3% to 38.7% in favour of the dates being proposed.

There were 837 responses to the survey. Almost 70% were from parents and carers.

But she added: “82 comments were received about the timing of the October holidays and expressing a preference for these to begin earlier in the month than the proposed dates.

“All the proposed October dates fall within the established policy of the first two weeks in October.

“Alteration would result in the end of term occurring in September and a shortening of the first term of the session.

“This feedback is noted but no further action is required. ”

And the director says it’s not always possible for Angus school holidays to be at the same time as neighbouring councils.

“Dates are aligned, where possible, against the published holidays for other local authorities.

“However, each area has its own established policies which means not all dates can be aligned.

“Examples in Angus include the agreement for the October holidays to fall in the first two weeks of the month, and the timing of the in-service break in November.”

Education councillors will discuss the issue on Thursday afternoon.