Summer holidays should be longer

No we don't have fritids. There's the supervised playgrounds in some cities which are really good because they're free, they're outside and active, and they provide lunch (there's also some parks that provide lunch to any children that turn up with a plate) but in towns and rural areas there's nothing for children of 1st grade age and older (except for those with significant SEN, they're eligible for holiday care throughout childhood). The expectation is that they look after themselves and generally that works alright.

But yet OP doesn't respond to suggestions about having a longer working day to enable that extra holiday 🙄

Which was really obvious from the start.

Only a teacher would start a thread which is basically - wouldn't it be better for children everywhere if I got longer holidays?

I did love the long summer holidays in ireland.

Why do the UK have so much shorter summer holidays than everywhere else.

Was a reason ever given for it?

In primary maybe but in secondary no. In secondary they should be getting used to an adult rhythm of life. School should be 8 hours Monday-Fri and perhaps six weeks off a year in total with the extra time being used to get them ready for adult life. At least they don’t have to go to school on Saturdays like in some countries..

I’m in NI and dc broke up Thursday 26th June and goes back 29th August. We love it and it flies in. I work TTO though. They also get one week in Oct, 2 at Xmas, one in feb and 2 at Easter. We don’t get anything in May, though sometimes a teacher training day after a BH.
my dc is older now but when younger and I wasn’t working TTO I took 2 weeks unpaid parental leave in summer, then did childcare swaps with friends or family flew over to help.
In NI lots of my friends work part time and they have grandparents to help.

What country is this?

Op is a teacher

If the kids are going to have to spend another 2 weeks in clubs and Summer camps, they may as well be in school.

Oh that's my dream.....so much we could change 😕

A bit like Camp Beaumont, which both of children hated.

Yes, this. My DD (AuDHD) really struggles with school. I think if she knew she had a break after 4/5 weeks, she could cope better. To her, a couple of weeks is not too different to six weeks and actually, probably struggles more with the longer holiday due to lack of routine and gets bored easily.

Yes I completely agree with you. For the benefit of the children.

I think 8 weeks off would be much better - the whole of July & August. For the parents who will struggle with childcare, I think the government should provide free childcare clubs / summer camps that can be used for the 2 weeks they would be in school. Only those with 2 parents working full time / single working parents should be able to access these and the emphasis should be on free play / fun.

I wonder if the OP would be so keen if teachers pay was cut. They always claim that they are only paid for the same amount of leave as everyone else, and not paid over the extended breaks. so if they have longer holidays then surely they will need to have their pay cut accordingly? Really, if they are only paid for term time plus the standard entitlement of everyone else, they are highly paid compared to other public sector jobs anyway!

@noblegiraffe I don't disagree and loved the summer holidays. Our DC were in the independent sector and broke up early July, going back usually after the August Bank Holiday. They also had two weeks in October which was brilliant in the longest and hardest term. On that basis I agree with you but they also had:

An au-pair
A week with granny at the seaside, crabbing and leading a shallows and amazon's life
Access to one-off the best tennis/sports clubs in the UK with a pool, tennis and cricket courses, etc
A house full of books
Theatre workshops
Trips to the South Ken museums and others in London
Painting/theatre classes
Music and orchestral camps
A month at our home in France - sailing, swimming and immersing in French

The above were also available at Christmas and Easter. Overall their holidays were enriching and learning never stopped.

The school days were also longer - in at 8.30, out at 3.45 with sports or music practices at least three times a week, evening matches and matches nearly every Saturday for the sporty one; orchestras, choirs, productions for the musical/theatrical one.

I'm not persuaded that more time gaming and hanging about on the top floor of the local car park cut quite the same opportunities.

DD is a teacher, secondary, and moving to the independent sector next year. Partly for the longer holidays and partly due to the levels of neglect around education for her pupils.

Longer holidays are fine but the activities to full them need to be there and accessible.

Statutory UK A/L is 20 days plus 8 Bank Holidays. It is a real struggle for parents.

in other countries grandparents help with childcare during summer holidays.

Ah so completely tear up the current education system? Yeh that's going to happen

Do you work op?

I don't think women (let's be honest, you said parents but it would be women) leaving the workplace and having less economic agency is a good thing so, no, I don't support the idea that we should encourage it.

I'm sorry the term "cover the holidays" offends you. But children need childcare and it needs arranging. I can assure you that mine are very much parented and loved.

Learn things for the sake of learning it - not to just memorise for an exam 🤔

@Natsku that’s interesting. So most people accept that 8 year olds and up will be at home alone whilst parents work but that you think it’s preferable to having shorter holidays, why is that exactly?

My ideal:

scrap October and May half term, they can be long weekends indeed (a Monday off or a Friday off) for example one close to the 5th November and May has already got two bank holidays so that’s ok?

Christmas from 19-20 December to 7-8 January

February one a long weekend with a Monday and Friday off

Easter nearly 2 weeks (Wednesday before Great Friday should be last day of school and open Monday after Easter, so 1 week and 1 day after Easter, not 2 days after Easter )

End of school year till 20 June max
Even if that means be back on 20 August.

But have 8 weeks off for summer.

Sorry, I have just seen that you are a teacher, so that explains it. You have never tried to juggle school holiday childcare.
It would be lovely to say "school is not childcare" but unfortunately, in 2025, not many families can afford to only have one parent in employment. Childcare during school holidays is difficult to plan and expensive.
The population would surely deplete if the only couples reproducing were those who could afford to have one parent stay at home for the first 12 years of the child's life, or teachers

What we do need, is subsidised childcare throughout the school holidays.

It was less of an issue when I was a child as mums (it is usually mums) were more likely to stay at home, or have very part time jobs. You could own a house and run a car on one salary. The school holidays have remained the same, but the expectations around work have changed.
Grandparents are less able to help than previously due to not being able to retire / more families moving away from parents / people having children later in life - you have a perfect storm making it difficult for families.

Bring back Hop Picking.
Work and a holiday combined.