Summer holidays should be longer

We get almost two months for summer amongst all the other holidays - December, October etc etc - it’s far TOO much, my kids are so bored and it costs us a absolute fortune for clubs, we don’t get much work holiday and we both travel for work - summer is especially busy - what do you propose we do op?

I agree! Much better to have a break at half term rather than a very long summer holiday. LIttle and often is much more helpful!

'Getting all the holidays off' isn't the point. Teachers have no more paid holiday entitlement than other workers. They just aren't contracted or paid to work at those times. It's fundamentally a part time job, but not 3 days a week etc, 195 days a year.

If you want to shorten pupils' holidays, you'd be requesting an increase in school contact time, which would cost far more in school staff salaries. So if childcare costs are the concern, you'd be better off not asking a qualified teacher to be the one to take it on!

They break up earlier cos school day is longer! My DD finishes school at 5pm hence longer holidays.
There would be uproar if state schools finished at 5pm.

6 weeks is enough - i'm in Germany, the country is so big that each federal state starts and ends the summer holiday at a different time, they stagger it to lessen the effects on industry etc. (the factories that close down for summer maintenance, afaik, time it to coincide with the start or end of holiday in their state, to help the parents out)

They stagger holidays in the Netherlands too, which is much smaller than the UK. It's probably a good idea.

I don't think holidays should be longer. As others have said, they have detrimental effects on children from poorer backgrounds.

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II’m in Italy and the 3 month summer holidays are a way of life. It’s where the multigenerational families work best.
Kids go to grandparents, cousins, nearby family second homes close enough for one of the parents to commute and the other to stay with the children and cousins.

Factories are often closed for two weeks around August 15th (Ferragosto) and in our case we tagged on a third week before or after. Unpaid leave was also an option.
We used a local Catholic Oratorio (well safeguarded youth clubs) for the first month where all religions were accepted and participants were expected to then be youth leaders at 16+. That got them work experience points towards their final exams. The youth leaders were given a week in a scouting activity centre as a reward.
Study holidays abroad are popular for learning languages. Mine did music camp in the Alps and if the parents are under a certain income the INPS (social security) offers scholarships and similar activities.

For me, the most important aspect is that 3 months gives the children time to build an alternative lifestyle. There is school life and summer life. They dive into a healthier outdoorsy routine with family connections, a break from school stress. Ok, worst case scenario is that they fester in front of screens but it’s just not expected. And school insists on a reading list or activity book.

When I was a kid in the UK I used to cry with boredom by the 5th week, even with a SAHM. I’d lost my routine and would just mope around the house. It got better when I could bike to see friends or go into town but school was my main source of stimulation.

This statement always gets an outing on these threads.

However in the real world of working parents, school is a form of childcare. Without sending DC to the free fo all state school DH & I wouldn't have been able to go to work and earn the money to keep a roof over DC'S head, food on the table and clothes on their backs.

There are a lot of countries with much worse weather who spend a lot more time outdoors. I do agree there should be more on in October and February, although amusement parks aren't the way to go. A lot of parents (me included) aren't really sure what to do outside with kids, especially if it's rainy and park equipment is slippery and unsafe. I'd like some more forest school provision to be available, and/or perhaps some educational sessions on how parents can spend time with children outdoors in bad weather. I like to go for a walk, but my 5 yo spends the whole time saying she's tired, bored, and wants to be carried.

These are not possibilities/options for everyone.

@noblegiraffe i love the summer holidays .
All kids need the break .
We start end of June start of July and go back mid August anyway.
school holidays are fine just as they are.
Seen a lot of schools messing around with the 2 week October break we get here and I love that break too.

@noblegiraffe
Private school parents get slightly cheaper holiday deals as they break up a couple of weeks earlier than state, but schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland break up at the end of June so demand will have already increased for holiday accommodation, even if it’s not peaked for flights from England and Wales.

Ironically in the UK the funded play schemes are for those not working…! Because in the UK those unemployed seem least equipped to look after their children.

Does Finland not have “fritids” like in Sweden? The schools provide before and after school clubs during term time and in holiday time it’s clubs all day. The only time it’s closed in July and bank holidays like Christmas Day - so everyone gets 4 weeks together and it’s capoed at £120 (ish) a month but for low income families it’s free. Being a “fritids” teacher is a different job to being a regular teacher and is treated differently. The children get a hot school lunch just lunch at school- though more salad than in the winter. This system may fix many of the issues PP have raised.

What flexibility should ALL employers offer? (Not talking about just office jobs here)

We'd love it because one of us is a SAHP. Other families, not so much!

Because as a teacher they want more holidays!

OP, a lot of your replies are 'Well perhaps the government should do this' and 'Well perhaps the government should do that' etc.

Mental health issues, poverty, rising youth crime rates, childcare etc are all 'perhaps'.

The truth is while all of those things are still a problem, all the 'perhaps' in the world isn't going to help.

So no, the school Summer holidays shouldn't be lengthened until such a time when you can stop saying 'perhaps'.

@noblegiraffe what I haven’t seen you address is people telling you the total time off is roughly the same give or take. So your say 8 weeks…are you then suggesting that the 2 weeks are taken from another term? Say drop 2 half terms? Or are you saying add on 2 weeks and keep the same? Certain countries shut down industry over the summer and everyone has the same weeks off etc which clearly will help with childcare, there’s so many variants.

Because you work in a college 🙄 most people get 20-25 days + 8 bank holidays. With young children it's a nightmare even with 2 parents in the household, with only 1 it must be impossible

I get 33 days annual leave, plus 12 bank holidays.

I work in an FE college (non-teaching role).

I'm a bit torn on this. When my DDs were young I would have loved 8 weeks with them (I also think they should have an extra week at Christmas). Now having a DS with severe autism I am wishing the holiday was shorter. He thrives on routine and loves school. He's already had a meltdown today due to routine change.
Genuinely thought I do think summer holidays should be longer. The kids always seem so knackered by half term.

I think the school holiday system is about right in the UK. They get regular breaks and the summer is a decent length to have a proper break but not too long. If anything I'd say maybe add a week to May half term and take it away from Easter or summer to compensate, but beyond that I think it's ok. Ideally you want a good chunk of holiday time between May and September when the weather is at its best.

DS's secondary school has just moved to having 3 weeks at Christmas (to compensate for teachers having to deliver an enrichment programme on Wednesdays throughout the school year). To be honest I'm not looking forward to it, it seems just about the worst time of year to have such a long break and we won't be able to take anymore time off work. I understand that the autumn term is a long term, but I think 2 weeks is enough time to be well rested. If they really had to add an extra weeks holiday to the autumn term they could at least have put it in October when the weather is better and there are more holiday options.

I'm all for it if we get an extra couple of weeks annual leave a year!