THOUSANDS of parents in North Yorkshire have not been informed about a possible switch to a six-term school year, it was claimed yesterday.

Labour chiefs said the county council had failed to make many families aware of the proposals, which could be introduced as early as next year.

The council's Labour group fears the authority may have left it too late to gather comments about the changes, with the deadline for an official response from the education authority less than three weeks away.

Councillor Jim Snowball, education spokesman, said it was a vitally important issue which could affect the lives of thousands of people.

"Parents need to be told about this. Their views and the views of young people should not be ignored by this administration," he said.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has been reviewing the issue of school holidays for the past two years and established the Price Commission to draw up proposals. Its plan is to introduce a flexible framework of six terms of broadly consistent length.

It recommends:

* Six terms in a school year, with two terms before Christmas;

* No term should be longer than 38 days;

* A two-week break in the October half-term;

* A summer break of no less than five weeks;

* Five flexible days that could be used as holidays or term days, according to regional needs.

The Price Commission, which has received cross-party support, is now consulting the education authority, which in turn consults the community.

But Coun Snowball said that the council's executive may have left it too late to gather views.

"I am urging schools, teachers, parents and pupils to contact the education department at County Hall to inform them of their views on this very important matter," he said.

However, the authority denied the claims last night. A spokesman said: "The LGA consultation paper specifically asks for the views of the local education authority and schools, and that is what we aim to provide."