Information for Parents

TCES term dates for academic year 2025/2026

Term dates are applicable across all TCES schools and services.

AUTUMN Term 2025

• Pupil Induction Day: Thursday 4 September 2025
• Start of term: Friday 5 September 2025
• INSET Day: Friday 24 October 2025
• Half term: Monday 27 October to Friday 31 October 2025
• INSET Day: Monday 3 November 2025
• INSET Day: Friday 28 November 2025
• End of term: Friday 19 December 2025
• Christmas holiday: Monday 22 December 2025 to Friday 2 January 2026

SPRING Term 2026

• Start of term: Monday 5 January 2026
• Half term: Monday 16 February to Friday 20 February 2026
• INSET Day: Friday 6 March 2026
• INSET Day: Monday 9 March 2026
• Easter holiday: Monday 30 March –Friday 10 April 2026

Summer Term 2026

• Start of term: Monday 13 April 2026
• Early May Bank Holiday : Monday 4 May 2026
• Spring Bank Holiday 25 May 2026
• Half term: Monday 25 May to Friday 29 June 2026
• INSET Day: Monday 1 June 2026
• INSET Day: Friday 26 June 2026
• End of term: Friday 24 July 2026

BANK HOLIDAYS

• 25 December 2026 (Christmas day)
• 26 December 2026 (Boxing day)
• 1 January 2026 (New Years day)
• 26 March 2026 (Good Friday)
• 29 March 2026 (Easter Monday)
• 4 May 2026 (May bank holiday)
• 25 May 2027 (Spring bank holiday)
• 30 August 2027 (August bank holiday)

Please note that INSET days on Fridays count as half a day only.

Autism Connect

This is an online social network for people with autism and their families. This is the place to meet new people, make friends and find support within the autism community.

ACE Advice and Information Service

If you are the parent or carer of a child at school and you would like to speak to an adviser you can call our free confidential telephone advice line on 0300 0115 142. 

Calls to the ACE advice line usually cost the same as calling a standard landline number – even from a mobile. 0300 numbers are often included in any inclusive call minute packages offered by phone operators. You should check with your own provider to be sure. 

Normal opening hours: Monday to Wednesday from 10am to 1pm. Term time only. 

Booklets on education, exclusions and bullying are also available for a small fee.

Child Law Advice 

We operate two limited intensive support telephone lines for complex matters and clarifying questions. One for family and child law calls and one for education law calls.

If you are calling about family or child law the number is 0300 330 5480.

If you are calling about education law, the number is  0300 330 5485.

Visit the website for information on calling costs. 

Family Rights Group Advice Service 

Telephone advice for parents of children who are involved with or need social care services, provided by Family Rights Group.
Call the helpine on 0808 801 0366 (Monday to Friday 9.30am to 3pm) or email office@frg.org.uk for more information.

Family Live – ‘Got a teenager?’ 

Parenting teenagers can be an enjoyable experience with a little bit of preparation and we offer a wealth of information on the different issues you might face.

Gov.uk

• Truancy and your responsibilities
• Information on exclusion
• Information on bullying
• Information on Special Educational Needs

Get Safe Online

Information on internet safety.

Hand in Hand Parenting Parenting advice website offering support on a whole range of subjects,  plus online blog and community.

IPSEA (Independent Parental Special Education Advice) 

This charity offers free and independent legally based information, advice and support to help get the right education for children and young people with all kinds of special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities.

Live Chat 

Online Instant Messaging service for parents of teenagers, relationship support and family support, provided by Relate.

Lone Parent Helpline 

The Lone Parent Helpline (0808 801 0323) provides support and advice on anything from dealing with a break-up, moving into work or sorting out maintenance, benefit or tax credit issues. Your call is free of charge from any UK landline or mobile. (Available Monday to Friday 9:30am to 4:00pm).

Netmums Parent Supporters 

Netmums’ Drop-In Clinic is a dedicated space in our forum where you can ask questions – at any time – to be answered by our team of Parent Supporters (see more about the Netmums Parent Supporters team below).

National Autistic Society – Parent to Parent Service 

Parent to Parent is a UK-wide confidential telephone service (0808 800 4106) providing emotional support to parents and carers of autistic children and adults. The service is provided by trained parent volunteers who offer telephone support from their own homes. The Parent to Parent volunteers are based across the UK, so parents don’t have to share information with someone in their local area. 

You can call at any time, day or night, and leave a message on our 24-hour answer phone. Please be aware that you will not speak to someone immediately as this is not a manned line. If you leave a message, we will call you back as soon as possible at a time that suits you, including evenings and weekends. Alternatively you can complete our online enquiry form.

One Space 

This site is an information site for anyone who is raising children on their own, whether through relationship breakup, illness, bereavement, work commitments or choice. It is run by Single Parent Action Network, a campaigning organisation working to make sure that your stories and your questions about single parenting are an important part of the social and political agenda.

young minds - supporting your child with gender identity issues

There is an increasing recognition that for some people, gender is a spectrum, and that people may express themselves in many different ways, as being at one end or the other, for example male or female, or in the middle (non-binary). For others, where they are on this spectrum may change or fluctuate at different times. People who identify as non-binary may also refer to themselves as ‘gender fluid’, or ‘gender queer’).

If your child is struggling with their gender or thinks they are transgender, here is some advice and information on what you can do and where you can get help.

Below are the links and contact details for support organisations for parents: