to be violently opposed to the summer holidays being shortened to three weeks

[emkana]

Don't know if there's been a thread about this yet?

Suggested by Frank Field, adviser to David Cameron, because poorer children don't get the stimulation during the summer holidays and therefore fall behind.

Libby Purves wrote quite rightly in the Times yesterday that that is no good reason to deprive all children of the long summer break (and the teachers!), rather more enrichment should be offered during the holidays for deprived children.

'So is everyone saying how lovely it is to have 6 weeks, and they'd like it to be longer a SAHM?'

At this moment but haven't always been nor will I always be.

Mind, I don't want it longer either.

'What the hell is there to do for children past. November?'

Spend time with their father, who can't take much time off in summer, and visit their entire maternal family abroad when it's cheaper for them to go.

Like Alouise I do not understand why anyone would want extra time after November! Not unless they were looking at flying off anyhow. Two weeks at home in the Welsh rain and murk- no ta!

I think is a brilliant idea tbh.

While I don't have childcare issues as am SAHM, I can see how difficult it must be for working parents during the long break.

Also, I loathe the long terms and then the speed with which the shorter winter and easter breaks pass by. I would appreciate the prospect of shorter, snappier terms, with more frequent holidays and opportunity for kids to recharge batteries and regain energy

Of course would only work if all schools in education authority followed the same terms - otherwise would be a logistical nightmare.

Also- teh current system works well with university and college timetables does it not? So many students here employed on playschemes over the summer. Likewwise working in holiday camps etc.

ATM it seems hard for students to get work- DHs classmates strugglinga s most aplces still ahve the ones from 2 years ago who have yet to find 'proper'jobs- this would be another hindrance.

Somebody has to look after small children. That is surely not a surprise to anyone?

I would hate a 3 week summer holiday. I have to let xh have dd for 3 weeks in the summer. Surely I have the right to spend some time with dd also. I would consider myself poor and I gave my dd plenty of mental stimulation over the summer. The government should fund more fun summer clubs if they are so concerned.

3 weeks is not enough for Summer break, As a teacher, it takes weeks to finish off one academic year and prepare for a new academic year and it would be nice to get away totally from school work for a bit too!

There are summer clubs for SN kids here, 10 - 3 for August. now some are better than others- ds3 can't wait until next eyar and ds1 will never go back again (we sent them to separate ones) but rather than shorten the holidays with all the knock on effects (who'd want to own a bristish campsite in that case scenario!) wouldn;t it be better to look at SSD offering similar services nationwide?
And maybe groups for NT kids- the CHurch here runs a free summer camp for example. Now OK not everybody's cup of tea (including mine as it happens) but it shows it can be done (actually NT kids can attend the play club too IIRC, sure they can)

I think 4 weeks in the summer and then an extra week at the May half-term maybe and then other week added on somewhere else might be quite nice.

I think a lot of kids struggle to adjust after the holidays. Plus studies show (my background is in Psychology and I actually did my dissertation on this!) that children learn better with a little and often approach, rather than big blocks of learning and then block of time off. So more, shorter holidays may be better than fewer, longer ones.

Plus I think he raises a fair point about 'poor people'. I think he's probably referring to 'cultural capital' rather than finances i.e. yes the museums/libraries are free, but if you have parents who can't be arsed to take their children to these places it does no good. The kids who are already disadvantaged by having disinterested parents are further disadvantaged in this sort of situation and would probably benefit from a shorter holiday.

But woudn;t it be a trade off nannylocal? The poor kids 9and I agree with your interpretation of that) might benefit but services for those kids who benefit from summer input via SN provision would drop off as well.

Actually, DH will work on a lot of party in the aprk type events after qaulifying so it would also directly affect our income as there are only so many weekends in whcih they can be held. So an extra no ta from me then! And a great deal of hoteliers etc to boot as well I suspect.

I don;t think one juggled week from Jult to May would make any real difference, lots of palces do it already- nephews school does. But no more please.

LookToWindward actually only some of that is actually any good.
They may get 13 weeks paid holiday (at set times) but it's nearly impossible to take time off unpaid when you actually need it.We even had to have an interview for taking an afternoon off to go to a funeral.There's no leaving early to pick up the car, no morning off for the gas man. All the jobs and appointments have to be done in the holidays- that same week you need to have off and relax.

In addition the bank holidays are mostly included in the school holidays. The paid 13 weeks includes weekends so its more like 9 weeks.
If you get 21 days leave in your non teaching job you can have 4 Thurs- Mon long weekends a year, another full week, have two weeks off at Christmas plus you get four bank holiday weekends thrown in.

I've left,can you tell

Sorry, I left my post a bit late.

Wish you could just chose like a staff rota. My DS could have 2 weeks here and 3 there and a few days off somewhere else.

I sort of think it may make sense. Weather wise, May - July is quite good in the uk, August is just shit and has been for as long as I remember, yet that is when the majority of the holiday is, then in September it picks up again. Yes libraries museums etc are free but there is only so much of that people want to do. I am a very proactive Mum and we went to several museums, art galleries, the park, swimming, cooking, sewing, arts and crafts etc etc. But the holiday is long. What if you cant do all these things with your kids due to whatever. Even if it is all free it still costs to get the bus fare there and back, the cookie in between etc. If holiday is taken when weather is good then kids are more likely to be able to go and just play which lets face it is far more imaginative and inventive then any crappy treasure hunt I will have created.
If you work full time away from home there was no way I could have taken several weeks off in the 6 week holiday meaning I had to send my kids to clubs that basically blew my wages, I was essentially working for nothing for 6 weeks, whereas if its spaced out you feel more able to ask for the time off. I think it s a good idea, so YABU.

here is a vv good reason why the holidays should be cut(no pun intended).

That 2000 British schoolgirls are brutalised every summer is surely reason enough for the priviledged majority to suffer inconvenience?

oh ffs, that would happen anyway. fancy using a tragic thing like that to win an argument

4 weeks in Summer, an extra week tacked onto the May half term hol and an extra week in early October. Fantastic. Bring it on.

I have no idea how longer/shorted hols affect teenagers- mine are 9 and 11 but for me, those last couple of weeks of holiday are a real pain. The boys are bickering. They're bored. Like many here (but evidently, looking at this thread, not that many!) I work (PT) so I shell out £39 a day for CC where the boys 'hang around', basically. Or DH and I juggle childcare. DS2 takes at least 3 weeks to catch up to where he left off at the end of the previous term. I 'overcome' this by effectively home-schooling him, albeit PT over the hols! So much for the total relax and unwind! The flipside of these disproportionately long summer hols can be the lo-o-ong half terms. I certainly had 6 year olds weeping with exhaustion by week seven and a half.

Over these past few years, 'Summer' is over by August. This year, June was summer here in the south, last year it was MAY.

As for everyone trying to fit in their hols over those 4 weeks, well, surely many would be doing a summer holiday in one or both of the weeks in late May/early June? Or the Med or Turkey in early October? I certainly would.

Finally, yes, I appreciate teaching can be demanding but, amongst my many teacher friends, I have to say it's only those who 'came into' teaching later who appreciate that it is actually a well remunerated, well protected profession, and they, almost to a person, mutter about 'lack of preparation' when any of their colleagues are still doing anything 'school-y' a week after school ends or start up a week before school recommences. AND they concede that as most do the same year group every year, they follow exactly the same teaching syllabus as last year...!

Its just not true about the teachers not being able to prepare, they would, they just wouldnt get the 3 weeks before hand to have their holiday which could instead be spread over the rest of the year.

Ampere, that is interesting about repeating the syllabus. Our schools has mixed age classes, so dd1 had two years with the same teacher. Dd2 is now in the same class and is learning exactly the same as her sister did to the letter.

I'm bored with it so I can't imagine how her teacher can come to it fresh every two years.

It's the same for the other two classes as well.

foreverastudent, i really dont think thats relevant to this...awful yes, but not relevant.

Primary school children here in Ireland, get 2 months, secondary school children get 3 months. I love it and wouldn't change it!

The glaring answer to this thread is actually to prevent disinterested, negligent parents producing children.

Then the rest of us can get on with our child rearing without interference by social engineers.

It is relevant. It takes the girls weeks to heal so getting it done at the start of the long holidays is the only way parents in this country can do it and get away with it because no-one notices that they are 'missing' for weeks.

I want the summer holidays to start at the beginning of July, not the end. August is always practically autumnal whereas the poor dcs & teachers have to work through the hottest months of the year. We should all follow the Scottish model!

I think the autumn term is to long and children get grumpy and lose interest, taking two weeks of the 6 weeks and placing a few days in October a few days at Chritmas and a few days a may bank holiday

surely the school terms should be set for the students benifit first and if this does benifit them then why not change.

teachers and pupils will still get 14 weeks holdiay, just at diferent times of the year

Judges and Mp's will ahve to sufer and get three temrs instead