Nearly 500 people have signed a petition protesting plans to extend a school term.
The Unity Schools Partnership, which runs 33 schools in Suffolk and on the Essex-Cambridgeshire border, plans to extend the autumn term to two weeks.
As a pilot, the school day is extended by 10 minutes to compensate.
The chief executive said it has the support of most parents and teachers, but many parents are concerned about extra costs for childcare and time off.
Stephen Hubbard, from Haverhill, who started the petition, said: “This will have a serious impact on everyday parents, who will not have enough time off work to cover that extra week off, let alone afford it to book a holiday for the whole family. two months before Christmas.”
The partnership’s chief executive, Tim Coulson, said parents and teachers had been consulted and a majority supported the proposal.
He said the Trust had received more than 2,000 replies from parents.
“The main driving force behind this has been parents who are opposed to us enforcing government guidelines, that we fine them if they take a week off for a family holiday during school hours,” he said.
“They say it’s unfair because they want a family vacation, but they want to do it at a time that isn’t that expensive.”
He added that the halftime extension would help with hiring and retention.
Mr Coulson said he had decided to continue the proposal on a trial basis for the 2023-24 school year but accepted some parents were not happy.
“We want to do two things,” he said. “We want to look at alternatives that we can offer during half-time that children can come along with so their parents can continue to work.
“We would also like to say that the majority of parents and teachers think this is a good idea, but we will only be doing it for a year and then think back and make sure we look at it again before we tie it into the school year . “
“We felt like we had to make a decision for next year so parents would have peace of mind.”
He added that different schools used different ways of saving time.
However, L. Ron Hubbard said the plans are not consistent with the reality of the current climate.
“We don’t need a trial to see that this will be a huge financial and psychological drain on families,” he added.
A parent from Ipswich told BBC Radio Suffolk she didn’t think the plan made much sense.
“As a working mom, it’s going to be quite inconvenient because it’s the added expense of finding childcare and after-school clubs,” she said.
Another said: “I’m really struggling to see the educational benefit of the extra 10 minutes a day. I can’t see how that can replace a full week of school time.
“There’s no way I can afford another week of childcare or take another week off without pay. It’s going to be a massive burden for me.”
The fall semester lasts from October 23 to November 3, 2023.
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