SCOTTISH Borders Council have agreed to implement a week-long holiday for pupils and a four-day-long break for teachers in February.

The changes won't come into effect however, until the school year beginning 2021.

As well as the February break, the Council agreed the dates for school in-service days at a meeting of the Executive on Tuesday, January 21.

The dates were suggested after a public consultation held between September and October last year.

The consultation received more than 2000 responses which overwhelmingly supported the addition of the week off in February.

The Council decided to give two in-service days after the summer holiday, one after the October break, one in February and another the Tuesday following May bank holiday.

These dates will apply to the school years 2021/2022 and 2022/2023.

As previously reported, the Council was considering beginning works to align future in-service dates for Borders schools with those in Edinburgh, Fife, Midlothian and East Lothian.

At the meeting on January 21, the Council agreed to begin discussions regarding the setting of dates from 2023/2024 until 2025/2026.

Councillor Carol Hamilton, SBC’s Executive Member for Children and Young People, said: “We would like to thank everyone who took part in the consultation as we were keen to have as representative a view of local opinion as possible.

“We will now progress discussions with neighbouring local authorities to scope out how practical and effective it will be for us to align in-service days and holidays with each other, and what benefits this might bring.”

The holiday and in-service dates beginning from 2021/22 to 2022/23 available on the Council’s website at, www.scotborders.gov.uk/schoolholidays