MANY families face a holiday headache, after local councils chose different dates for school breaks.

For 2017/18, City of York Council's and East Riding of Yorkshire Council's school holiday dates match, but North Yorkshire County Council's do not.

The discrepancies will affect families with children in schools run by different authorities, and people who work for a school in one authority but whose children attend school in the other.

October half term will to fall on different weeks and the Easter holidays overlap by only one week.

North Yorkshire's autumn break is from October 23 to 27, but York and East Yorkshire's is the following week, from October 30 to November 3.

At Easter 2018, York and East Yorkshire schools will break for holiday on March 23 and return on April 9, but North Yorkshire's will break up on March 30 and return on April 16.

One parent, who asked not to be named, told The Press: “This will be a nightmare for parents with children in both authorities - i.e. Escrick families have primary children under North Yorkshire and secondary children under York.

"They will probably end up taking some of their children out of school in term time. How about some joined up thinking?”

Several villages around York are served by City of York primaries but North Yorkshire secondaries, such as Easingwold School or Tadcaster Grammar.

Similarly, some villagers in the Yorkshire Wolds or near the Yorkshire Coast are served by East Riding of Yorkshire primaries and North Yorkshire County Council secondaries, or vice-versa.

York Press:

Maxine Squire, of City of York Council, said: “There are 13 authorities in Yorkshire and 12 in the North East which follow an agreed set of principles around the timing of holidays and half term breaks.

“While York aligns well with the overwhelming majority of Yorkshire authorities - especially the East Riding and North Yorkshire County Council - occasionally, some interpret the guidance differently which leads to variations across borders.”

North Yorkshire County Council said: “In the absence of any national requirement for a common set of dates across local authorities and other school employers, it is not possible for the local authority to avoid this”.

Both councils have said they work with neighbouring councils to plan holidays but there could be variations. City of York Council said it would “encourage parents to take children on holiday during school holidays only.”