Summer holidays should be longer

Why would anyone choose to have their children in childcare? Yes I love my kids with me when I’m off work. I love them seeing their friends, going on holiday. But why would I support extending summer holidays to pay to put them in childcare they wouldn’t want to do?! I’d rather they were at school

In the real world, it’s incredibly costly and difficult to keep kids entertained & not snacking too much over the summer holidays. Then there is managing work alongside this. Even with a holiday thrown in and various day trips, the amount of times I’ll hear ‘I’m bored’ from my only child is going to drive me insane. Kids can’t just roam the streets entertaining themselves

It is interesting to hear about all this subsidised/cheap holiday childcare in other countries. So it is possible!

But childcare as a whole is much cheaper & subsidised, our society doesn't want that.

Much of Europe has cheaper housing costs and factories etc shut down for Aug so parents can take time off. We just don't have the same culture.

there’s an expectation that childcare will fall to the extended family.

Defo not that culture!

Extra couple of weeks ☑️
Having those weeks at summer❌

Extra week at Christmas & some other time would be better.

All school staff should be salaried the same way teachers are - support staff are asked to do more but conditions wise they've been demoted radically.

I think 6 weeks is plenty to allow kids to destress. And I very much doubt increasing it will help with teacher retention (I’m assuming they’re not leaving due to the short holidays 😂😂).

better ideas would be to allow kids to wear a summer uniform or pe kit from June and stop penalising parents for taking kids out for a holiday during term time.

This. Family is closer in Italy and there’s an expectation that childcare will fall to the extended family.

More in line with private schools … that’s because they work Saturdays!

In the US we don’t generally get as much annual leave (although I have had more in every job I’ve had than I ever had in the UK) but because summer holidays are longer, infrastructure is way more developed so there are loads of day camps and overnight camps for kids. It’s not hard to find care for DC. Uni students often nanny for summers and it’s worth their while because it’s a 3 month job not just 6 weeks. Everyone I know worked full time over the summer over the age of 16 so it’s not hard for camps to staff with uni students.

I am also feeling very sad for the poster who said their kids get bored after 3 weeks! 1. It’s good for kids to get bored and 2. How can your kids not entertain themselves in the summer?!!

Couldn't agree more noblegiraffe. Sorry to all those on their way to the SW but the weather predictably changes when the schools break up and for the last fewbyears, autumn has begun in mid August. Why not break up in mid June after the exams for eight weeks?

Obviously, any extension would rely on good holiday provision of the type available in other countries. Activities to enrich the lives of children and give them the opportunity to grow outside the ever growing restrictions of school. There seems to be money available for other things eg. road schemes but not for making the lives of children better. I guess it depends where your priorities lie.

The UK is not Spain, the nature of our climate means the weather is changeable and moderate through the year, we don't have 30+C for weeks at a time like southern European countries do. I've just come back from Northumberland where it was 17C with eight hours of continuous rain, that is the reality of the UK's summers. As an aside I don't want UK society to slow down even more, people fanny about far too much as it is (like taking an hour to get food after ordering the other day, for example).

Absolutely not. 6 weeks is plenty. If anything make it a week shorted and split it between Christmas and Easter or have it added to the October half term. In eyfs and ks1 the autumn term is so long and a slightly longer break would help concentration.

This. I feel that wanting longer holidays is a middle class first world problem. Teacher retention is also about money not a tweet idea of “let’s give them more holidays”… how on earth would you cram the already pressed time re:national curriculum into 2 fewer weeks a year as a GCSE or A level teacher. What a stupid, ridiculous, thoughtless idea. Kids tired? Good … send them to bed early with food inside them! In case you’re wondering … I’m not in favour🙄

Sure but a lot of people here ‘need’ to go abroad and sit in the sun. We don’t need to do this. Guaranteed weather.

Not every holiday is cultural. Some people go to sit on a beach (where I’m from you can do this a half hour away) and sit by a pool (one in my parents backyard). Etc

And we also don’t need to go away to enjoy winter - skiing, tobogganing, skating etc. All on our doorstep.

My DC is an adult now, but she attended a creche before and after school. During the summer she attended on a full-time basis (same with all the other kids). Except for the two weeks we were on our own holidays. We had to pay extra over the summer period for full-time care. The creche didn't charge for the two weeks when we took our holidays.

The only people who think this is a good idea are people who work in schools.

We also get a long weekend in May and in June, for bank holidays. This year we had Friday, Monday and Tuesday off for both. Summer holidays started on the 24th of June too. It’s great. Secondary school finishes a month earlier.

Does anyone know how much annual leave people get in other countries? How do the Irish cover it, for example?

Holiday clubs that are cheap & gp help

Thats exactly how it is in Scotland. Finish 28th June till 17th August .

I don't know about other countries, but I can talk about Spain (12 weeks). Parents cover this because first, grandparents are much more involved there, lots of family suport in general. Second...and very important!! holiday club prices have absolutely nothing to do with prices in the UK because this is subsidised by the government. Do you know how much my friends pay there for a week's holiday club? From 35 to 50 euros! A week! (That's the daily rate here). They wouldn't be happy to have 12 weeks and pay the prices here, I can tell you. They cannot actually believe we pay as much

This is only anecdotal obviously but I'm Irish and when I was little, every family had either a SAHP or the parents worked opposite shifts.

I voted yabu but only because I'd rather summer hols be 4-5 weeks and Christmas to be 2-3 weeks. Christmas is magical whatever the weather. Could see more people, do more Christmas crafts, watch movies with blankets and hot chocolate, take your time with the tree instead of having to rush it on a Sunday alongside all the washing/cleaning general chores required over the weekend!

As an aside, it would be easier to take unpaid parental leave too.