A "CITIZENS' jury" is set to decide whether school holidays in the Leigh, Tyldesley and Atherton areas should be changed.

Currently there are EIGHT different holiday patterns for schools in the Wigan metropolitan borough.

Now council chiefs are considering bringing all school holidays in line in the borough.

The present holiday pattern dates from the traditional Wakes Weeks - but now that many no longer exist, council chiefs feel it may be time for a change. Wigan will be the first local education authority in the country to use a "citizens' jury" to consult on school holidays.

The jury will be chosen from 2,000 people who have been invited to put their names forward.

They will have been chosen by means of statistical sampling to achieve a wide cross section of the community.

Out of these, the office of public management will select a jury of 12 people.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.