To think that the school year should be reformed so that there are only 6 weeks of holidays instead of 13!

[bollywoodfan]

...Yes I am finding the holidays difficult! They are too long and there are far too many imo. I don't see why children & teachers need so many holidays! They are a nightmare for parents to arrange childcare for, which also costs a lot of money. Most households don't have a sahp and the govt is discouraging this anyway. So it makes sense for there to be the same amount of school holidays as there is annual leave i.e 6 weeks
OK, before the teachers start moaning - the workload for teachers could be more spreadout as there would be a longer period of time in which to fit the curriculum. You could also have weeks where you did other things, like sports or music week, activities etc, so that it is not all book learning all the time.

Benefits: more time to learn, less workload for teachers as slower pace, less childcare issues for parents, less bored children in long holidays
Disadvantages: may need to increase tax as it would cost a bit more to keep school buildings open & staff would have to be paid more. Less time for kids to relax I suppose..although as I said, there could be activity weeks or days which coukd break up the routine

So my plan would be:
2 weeks for summer holidays
1 week christmas
1 week easter
1 week in Nov
1 week in Feb
Who's with me?

I am all for spreading those 13 weeks out.

I work in a junior school and definitely see the dreadfull effects of end-of-term-itis first-hand.
Tiredness, irritability, fallings out with friends, increased bullying, increased sensitivity, decrease in attention span, lack of enthusiasm, increased resistance to teacher input.

Shorter terms interspersed by a week off on a regular basis would be good!

How do people manage school holidays when both parents work "normal" hours (i.e. not term-time contracts)? How much do holiday clubs cost, typically? How commonly available are they?

It is a background concern of ours at the moment, as DD won't be starting school for another 18 months. I love us spending time together as a family, but it will be a bit miserable if DP and I have to take holidays at different times to cover the school holidays and only get weekends and bank holidays together.

Behind I'm glad someone agrees with me, dd is only 2 so I have no experience school as a mum yet.

Another YABU from me I'm afraid. I count down the days to each break - my DC are exhausted after each half term, and I'm fed up with getting them up early every day, the morning rush, making packed lunches, ironing unforms. I can't imagine how teachers feel after 6 weeks of school - but I would guess they are also desperate for a break!

I am a nurse and work 12 hour shifts. During the holidays I work most weekends when DH is off so that I can be home during the week. We forget what the other looks like during the summer break!

Some of my best childhood memories are of the long school holidays stretching before me. I'm just sad that I have to work and DS will have to be in childcare for some of it rather than being at home for most of it .

YABU, kids need the break from school, my DS is exhausted at the end of term.

I would definately not like my DC to do longer hours in the day that was proposed at one time (cannot remember which politician dreamed that up)

WRT holidays when us crumblies were at school...
I'm 46 and went to school in England and Scotland.
Scottish schools finish earlier in summer and go back earlier. Then there was the October half term (but originally this was for children to help with potato harvesting).
Then after Christmas that was it till Easter. No Feb week, it was the longest most boring term IMO.

Can't remember Whitsun week, (we'd have had Bank Holidays) but cannot honestly remember if there was a week in May.

So mine get far more holidays than I did (and when you factor in Inset Days etc and early closing days...)

minshu The cost of holiday childcare was one of the deciding factors when dh and I were trying to work out wether I would go back to work or become a sahm.
We live in the expensive SE. Neither dh nor I earn a lot but above the cut off for any benefits etc. It is doable for one of you to be a sahp. It should be possible for anyone. It just depends on how much you are willing to sacrifice. For some people that is nothing, and that is fine. For us is was lots
I was a sahm for 10 years. It was wonderful. Financially we made a hell of a lot of sacrifices but it was worth it.
I now work part time in a school to ensure I still have the holidays to spend with the dc (because I enjoy it)

euphemia - no, unless your staffroom is my staffroom

Yes both parents are now working in households. But they still have choices. They don't have to go for state education. They can choose academies for the education of their children if they think that schools should be providing childcare. Academies, choose their own holidays. Friend works in one, is knackered as are collegues and students. They are desperate for a holiday, which is not happening until next month... Might not sound a lot op, but 5 months of planning, teaching and all the other gubbins is a long time. No wonder the school have such a high turn over of staff leaving, never mind parents taking their shattered kids out.

Hmm...I shall think about this in a leisurely fashion over the next 2 weeks [busmile]

A-ha. Now it makes sense. Shortening holidays and extending teaching time would presumably create more jobs and the OP wants to be a teacher

I work (almost) school term times.

I love the 6 weeks holiday. I love it, I tell you, I love it! Do not take that away from me.

Absolutely not children need their holidays.

I do, however, think schools should be open 8-5, breakfast club in the morning and between 3-5, homework club, sports clubs, drama and music clubs. It seems crazy for children to come home from school, then do homework then be ferried around to clubs.

It would also benefit poorer children who do not get the chance to do afterschool clubs, working parents wouldn't need wrap around childcare etc.

I would even contribute, so a small charge for working parents, free for poorer families.

I'm a SAHM just now and part of the reason is there's no one to do the school run. There's no breakfast club so I couldn't start work until after 9, then the DC would have to go to afterschool, this means being picked up in a bus and ferried to a different school and its £7 a day no matter when you pick then up and no FH can't do it.

There's very few families I know use afterschool care, most have GPs picking up the slack.

Inset days were taken off teachers, so children have the same amount of holidays. They are in school for 190 days, teachers for 195.

I'm a teacher and I work for a large portion of each school holiday. If we only had six weeks of non-contact then I would need to spend all of that time in school and would never see my own child.

Minshu, you might want to start a separate thread for that.

I used to do the alternate holiday thing with my husband; borrow/share other people's au pairs or nannies (with their permission of course); take advantage of all the holiday playscheme things (when they were a bit older); beg help from grandparents in extreme situations.

It's not straightforward.

I'm not working at the moment and life is far easier.

I dont agree! i do think the 6 week holiday is abit long though, maybe they should cut that down and put for christmas or something

YABVU, school is not childcare but there for education.

If you dont want to spend time with your children, book childcare. Teachers and children need a break.

Teachers may only work x weeks a year but i dont know any that dont work in the evenings or over the hols at some point not to mention the extras they run like clubs, shows etc.

I'd like them a little more spread out as so little time off at christmas to enjoy family and playing with new toys etc.