Next summer could be the last when Bradford teachers and pupils get six weeks off.

Bradford Council wants to move to a new 'six-term year' pattern from August 2004. The main proposed changes are:

l a shorter summer holiday of five weeks, not six

l a new two-week break in October, to provide a breather during the long Autumn term

l the two week 'Easter' break might no longer coincide with the Easter bank holiday

l schools could set five individual holidays per year to fit in with religious festivals or elections.

Parents are being urged to have their say on the proposals by visiting the Council's website and filling out a questionnaire, before February 3.

The aim of the switch is to improve levels of school attendance and introduce an even pattern of terms and holidays. If people involved in the consultation are in favour, the Council proposes to adopt the new system from August 2004 - whether or not neighbouring authorities do the same.

That could prove controversial as families with children in different schools in different authorities could find them out of kilter.

And for working parents, that could have serious childcare implications.

Teaching unions are also understood to have reservations about cutting the length of the long summer holiday, which they believe to be important for staff recruitment and retention.

Councillor David Ward, executive member for education, said: "We're aware that the traditional pattern of the school year means a long autumn term, while because of the varying timing of Easter, the terms after Christmas vary too.

"We are very interested to hear what people think about this proposal, and we believe the changes could help teachers plan learning much more easily and continue to provide better quality education to pupils."

If the consultation produces support for the new arrangements, the Education Policy Partnership will recommend it to Bradford Council's ruling executive committee. The executive has the final say.

Phil Green, director of education, said: "This could help improve attendance rates among pupils and we look forward to hearing people's views."

However, the consultation details are only available on the Bradford Council website. Also a sample of parents' views will be taken at a small number of schools.

People can view the consultation document and make comments by visiting the Bradford Council website at www.bradford.gov.uk/sixtermyear

Or they can put views in writing to: Terms and Holidays Consultation, Education Client Team Office, Future House, Bolling Road, BD4 7EB.