FOR some schools, summer drew to a close last Wednesday with an influx of fresh-faced first-years charging up and down corridors. For others, it was a case of waiting for the new month, and yesterday was D-day.

Half-day or full day, first years or the full cohort, August or September, the new school year is beginning, as always, in a dragged-out erratic fashion.

Is there a case for standardising the school year?

ASTI president, John Mulcahy, says that the Irish system, with girls in one school and boys in another, can be very annoying for parents trying to co-ordinate the beginning of the school year.

"From the unions' point of view, it can be difficult to co-ordinate activities such as in-service, when there is no standardised mid-term or holidays," he says.

However, Rose Malone, education officer with the TUI, notes that there is a local argument of a certain amount of flexibility. "For instance, some schools in Kerry close for the Listowel races at the end of September - and that's their `mid-term' break, rather than in November," she says.

At present, the Minister sets down the minimum number of days a school must open and, in almost all schools, this becomes the de facto number of opening days.

Mulcahy explains that schools plan backwards from the one fixed day each year - the day the Leaving Certificate begins. Principals must juggle holidays, mid-term breaks and occasional days off.

What about the oft-voiced allegation that many schools only open for a half day but report it as a full day for the purposes of the school calander?

Rose Malone points out that the controversial "Time in School" circular effectively prevents schools from doing this, so, officially, it is not happening.

Mulcahy says that schools may be open to pupils for a half-day but the remainder of the day may be used for staff planning. Class tutors, extra-curricular activities, and so on must all be organised for the coming year.