Summer holidays should be longer

Why would there be any benefit to aligning the state schools to a private school calendar?

We have 8 week summer holidays and no, it does not reduce the cost of childcare. Nor does it make it easier to take annual leave during the summer.

Agree with PP that an extra week at Christmas which is a tiring holiday, would recharge their batteries after a long autumn term. Six weeks on the summer is a nightmare for a lot of parents.
I wonder if in other European countries there is more childcare organised by the schools? My DD was too shy to go to holiday clubs where she didn’t know anyone, but would happily have done “activities” at school.

I think teachers get more than enough holidays and I don’t think school is too much pressure for kids (I have a 16 and 17 year old).

Yeah i grew up in ireland, and we got three months summer holidays every year.

I was always shocked at how little holidays the school children in the UK get.

People asked how do parents cope with annual leave.

I grew up with a single mother.. she worked.

During the school holidays in secondary school, we were just old enough to be left by ourselves.

I was 14 and my brother was 16 for example. We were old enough to look after ourselves until she came back from work.

Op the problem is that it is a massive driver of social inequality.

If we had amazing state funded sport and arts clubs for kids going through to 16 years then yes it would be amazing

But I live in a disadvantaged area and can tell you many children from poorer families will barely do anything all summer. We know with growth in traffic and changing culture children dont play outside in large numbers now. Kids will game or watch tv for hours.

Working parents on low incomes will struggle hugely over summer.

Children will not be enriched or happy or having wonderful holidays and making memories.

Even if they do have some nice days they will spend too much time indoors etx

We need proper holiday clubs and projects in every neighbourhood byt austerity has decimated youth snd play provision

Many local authorities lost 80 per cent of youth and play provision over 10 years of austerity.

School is not the ideal way children should be spending their time...!!! But we need realistic alternatives not a daydream of a golden era of running about freely which doesn't happen

But Italy don't have half terms or bank holiday Mondays, and only a few days for Easter and Christmas. The UK way is much better.

Not a longer summer holiday but more equal terms with 2 weeks at each half term.

That would be lovely if working people ( who aren’t teachers!) got more than 34 days annual leave!

No chance, six weeks is to long. If anything it should start at the beginning of July (or even the last week of June) and go back mid August when its cooled down.
My kids are bored by the third week in!

I would much more prefer a week added to Christmas & a week added to October half term and cut the summer hoildays into 4 weeks though.