Skiers face Massif price rises as Europe and the UK school holiday dates converge

Skiers face hotel battle as Europe and the UK school holiday crash
Skiers face a particularly difficult market in the 2010/11 season as UK school holidays coincide with those of the overseas schools.
Cautioned schools in France, Switzerland and Belgium were all in a part of the winter holidays with UK schools, which means that there is greater competition for accommodation in the Alps .
The family hotel is virtually sold out for the February 2011 mid-term in the operator's flagship property,  agents to act quickly to encourage the operator started discussions last week.
"The availability on the peak dates are on a first come, first served basis so you need to now to make sure of it," he said.
"But the British market will be more likely to book than those of other markets and with our agent incentives and early booking benefits, we hope that agents will be encouraged to begin thinking about the 2010-11 winter now."
Saw strong growth in sales of its ski-product of this year,  there is no sign of demand for all-inclusive properties flat out.
"The market for luxury all inclusive has remained very popular. And notice that the financial crisis still going on, people want a price to pay before you leave," he added.
 ski properties in its 2010-11 program, half of which has recently been renovated with.
Early booking offers mean saving is available for certain properties for booking early.

UK school holiday dates 2011 and 2012

UK school holiday dates 2011 and 2012

Christmas and New Year 2010/11	18 December - 5 January 2011
February (spring) half term	19- 27 February 2011
Easter holiday	16 April - 2 May 2011
May (summer) half term	28 May - 3 June 2011
Summer holiday	16 July - 30 August 2011
October (autumn) half term	15 - 23 October 2011
Christmas and New Year 2011/12	23 December - 8 January 2012
February (spring) half term	11 - 19 February 2012
Easter holiday	31 March - 13 April 2012
May (summer) half term	26 May - 3 June 2012
Summer holiday	14 July - 29 August 2012

Bank holiday dates

Bank holiday dates

The expected dates of bank and public holidays in England, Wales and Scotland are listed below.

When the usual date of a bank or public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, a 'substitute day' is given, normally the following Monday. For example in 2009, Boxing Day was on Saturday, 26 December, so there was a substitute bank holiday on Monday, 28 December.

England and Wales

There are currently eight permanent bank holidays in England and Wales and an additional one in 2012:

England and Wales	2010	2011	2012
New Year's Day	1 January	3 January*	2 January*
Good Friday	2 April	22 April	6 April
Easter Monday	5 April	25 April	9 April
Early May Bank Holiday	3 May	2 May	7 May
Spring Bank Holiday	31 May	30 May	4 June*
Queen's Diamond Jubilee	-	-	5 June
Summer Bank Holiday	30 August	29 August	27 August
Christmas Day	27 December*	26 December*	25 December
Boxing Day	28 December*	27 December*	26 December
* substitute day

Scotland

There are nine statutory bank holidays across the whole of Scotland. There are also other public or local holidays which can be determined by local authorities, based on local tradition. Since 2007, St Andrew's Day has been an alternative, voluntary public holiday, which can replace an existing local holiday.

Businesses and schools are not necessarily closed on Scottish bank holidays, and the Scottish banks follow the English and Welsh bank holidays for business reasons.

Scotland	2010	2011	2012
New Year's Day	1 January	3 January*	2 January*
2nd January	4 January*	4 January*	3 January
Good Friday	2 April	22 April	6 April
Early May Bank Holiday	3 May	2 May	7 May
Spring Bank Holiday	31 May	30 May	4 June*
Queen's Diamond Jubilee	-	-	5 June
Summer Bank Holiday	2 August	1 August	6 August
St Andrew's Day	30 November	30 November	30 November
Christmas Day	27 December*	26 December*	25 December
Boxing Day	28 December*	27 December*	26 December
* substitute day

Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, there are ten permanent bank holidays - the same eight as in England and Wales, plus St Patrick's Day and the Anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. For more information see the nidirect website.

Special bank holidays

There are laws that allow the dates of bank holidays to be changed, or other holidays to be declared, for example to celebrate special occasions.

It has been announced that there will be a special bank holiday in 2012 to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The 2012 late May bank holiday will be moved to Monday 4 June 2012 and an additional Jubilee bank holiday will be on Tuesday 5 June 2012. 

Holidays during term time

Holidays during term time

You should not normally take your child on holiday in term time as it can be disruptive both to your child's education and to the school.

Holidays in term time can only be agreed by the headteacher or someone with appropriate authority. Schools can use their discretion to grant up to 10 days’ authorised absence in a school year if both:

• the parent the child normally lives with applies to the school in advance of the holiday
• there are special reasons for the holiday

Schools can only agree to more than 10 school days’ absence in any school year in exceptional circumstances.

Schools must judge each holiday request on a case by case basis. They can take into consideration:

• the time of year for the proposed trip
• if it's near any exam dates
• your child's overall attendance pattern
• any holidays already taken in the school year
• the age and stage of education of your child
• your wishes
• the ability of your child to catch up the work that they have missed
• the reason why you are taking the time off during term time

Schools should not take into consideration:

• availability of cheap holidays
• availability of desired accommodation
• poor weather experienced in school holiday periods
• overlap with the beginning or end of term