Fixing the Date for Easter

[Daisy]

Do you think the dates for Easter should be left as they are - depending on the moon/sun - or should it be a fixed date?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/when-is-easter-date-to-be-fixed-archbishop-justin-welby-pope-a6814781.html

[Oma]

It always confuses me it's a different date every year , this year I was surprised when DD said the school was breaking up for Easter it seemed to creep up on me I was expecting it in April

[Gemini]

A fixed date, definitely. I know it cannot be a fixed date, as such, as it has to be a Friday and Sunday. It should be fixed in in the same was as May day is set as the first Monday in May.

[Nanto2girls]

To be honest it doesn't bother me either way. Sometimes my birthday is at Easter, and that's not until the 20th of April.

[Glammanana]

It does creep up on you when so early in the year I would prefer maybe the last Friday and Sunday in April and give us a wee breather from Christmas and New Year,mind you I am open to chocolate at any time of the year

[Avo]

Having a fixed date would make planning holidays away easier. Personally, I don't mind either way!

[Shemadee]

Seems to have caused some problems sorting out term times. Ours broke up on Maundy Thursday but in DD2's area they have had the bank holiday off and break up this coming Friday. Doesn't make much difference to me but must be harder for the education people to decide what is best.

[Glammanana]

I'd also think parents with children in different schools would come across a problem with regard to child care even though my youngest two DGCs are quite responsible young people my DD likes to be home with them for holidays something which we can manage to do at present as I stand in for her but management may not be so helpful once I have retired (again)

[Daisy]

Shem - you're right about the education issues! It's a night mare for GCSE and A Level students when Easter is late. They have a very short second half of the summer term and so less time for class revision, but when Easter is very early the syllabus has to be completed earlier to ensure student have got revision time in the holidays.

The dates local authorities set for the holidays is a different matter and down to each LA to decide. The worst problems occur for schools near county boundaries and when I was teaching our sons were at school in a different county and we often had different holidays.

[Shemadee]

Yes, very tricky if a couple both work for different authorities. OH was driving a couple and she said that they needed to book another journey in two weeks time and her OH corrected her and said three weeks. It was only then that they realised they had different half terms.

[Nana]

I agree. I did think Easter was early this year. Like you Nan2 my birthday is in April,earlier than yours, & Easter was usually closer to my birthday. I was also saying to OH that I don't understand why when GMT summer time robs us of that hour's sleep how nights are said to be lighter. If the clocks have gone forward why isn't it that the night's aren't darker sooner? If you get my drift. E.g if before the clocks went forward, it got dark at 6ish say .... then putting the clocks forward would surely mean that at 7pm it would be darker not lighter????

[Daisy]

Shem - half terms used to be a juggling act for us. At one time DS2 and I were in the same county, DS1 in a different one. Then DS2 joined DS1 so they were both off together, but I wasn't, then DS1 was back in my county but DS2 wasn't - and eventually they grew up, left school and it didn't matter!!!

Nana - we 'lose' an hour because the clock goes forward from (say) midnight to 1 am. When it gets to 7am on the clock it's only 6 am in relation to the sun. So we go through the day being one hour ahead of the sun. If sunset is at, say 6.30 pm but our clocks say 7.30 pm we feel as though it's been light later. There, now I'm sure I've totally confused you.

[Nana]

HA! Thanks for trying Daisy but I'm afraid your brain is much much 'cleverererer' than mine.

[Daisy]

Nana - I wasn't at all confident that that was a clear explanation - I wasn't clever at all!!!