SCHOOLS in Southampton are to follow Hampshire's lead by introducing a six-term year.

Civic chiefs backed the controversial move, claiming the changes from next year would benefit both teachers and children.

Last month county council leaders pressed ahead with the proposals despite opposition from teaching unions.

The National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers is to hold a vote on Monday to establish the strength of feeling among its 4,000 members in Hampshire.

Union bosses have blasted the county council's consultation process but revealed members in Southampton would not be balloted.

The NASUWT claims the views of 81 per cent of schools who voted against any change were ignored in Hampshire County Council's consultation.

"What we are concerned with is the fact that we undertook the consultation process in good faith and so did parents, governors and head teachers," said Ron Clooney, regional leader for the NASUWT.

"This has simply been ignored because of the whims of a small minority of councillors.

"We are not against a six-term year but the fact that in Hampshire the consultation process was totally disregarded. If every county is going to do that there will be chaos. However, we have no problem with Southamp-ton. It is no surprise that they have followed Hampshire in this."

The union is against plans to introduce the change to a six-term school year being introduced across the country in a piecemeal way.

education bosses said the changes would lead to a more even distribution of holidays and term-time, which would benefit both teachers and pupils.

Plans for Hampshire and Southampton currently include a fixed two-week Easter break.

"Across the south-east they are talking about fixing Easter break at a specific time," said Mr Clooney.

"The problem with that is that it isn't always in line with everyone else in the country. It is ill conceived and ill thought out. Like Christmas, Easter is a national holiday and should be fixed nationally."

Papers for the ballot are set to go out on Monday, to be returned by July 3.

"We are giving our members the right to tell us how they feel," said Mr Clooney.

"If it shows, as we think it will, a disgruntled air among our members, we may well go to a formal ballot."

Southampton education supremo Councillor Calvin Horner told the Cabinet meeting yesterday that the city should fall in line with dates set in Hampshire.

But he acknowledged the need for dates to have a co-ordinated approach by school bosses across the country too.

"We need to be pragmatic about it and have a co-ordinated approach with other local education authorities regionally and quite possibly on a national basis too."

SOUTHAMPTON AND HAMPSHIRE TERMTIME DATES 2005/06:

Autumn term: September 1 to December 16 (one-week break from October 24 to October 28)

Spring term: January 3 to March 31 (one- week break from February 13 to February 18)

Summer term: April 18 to July 24 (one-week break from May 29 to June 2)