Pupils and staff have began a new era at a Hockley school when they switched to a five-year term.

Greensward College is the first school in Essex to launch the new structure which means leaving behind the traditional three-term academic year.

The new set-up will have this year broken up into five eight-week terms with two-week breaks between them.

The summer holiday will last longer than a fortnight but it will not be as long as the traditional five or six-week July and August break.

Education experts have argued shorter holidays and more terms will boost pupils' ability to remember what they have been taught, rather than having to start again after long holidays.

Although the change has provoked criticism from some parents in the past, senior staff at the Greensward Lane school said many parents backed the move. Assistant vice principal Martin Clark said: "The whole rationale is to raise standards in education, raise standards for pupils and couple that with a less stressful structure.

"The three-term structure is very irregular. Some terms are short, some are long and there are a lot of imbalances there." The idea of five-term years is due to be considered nationally by a conference of local education authorities later this month.

If successful at pioneering Greensward, the idea could be adopted nationwide.

Thurrock Council is also considering the introduction of a five-term year.

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