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?

YABVU. Why should every child's free time be so drastically reduced so you do not have to arrange childcare? IMHO UK school holidays are too short, especially in the summer, hence the mad scramble to book holidays months in advance.

Cantspel: Italy has school 8-1 Monday-Saturday and summer holidays from mid-June to mid-September. However, most children are looked after by their grandparents in the afternoons and the summer. Also in summer people use summer camps, which can be private, state (called "sun camps") or employer-provided (rarer these days).

Here in my part of the US we have ten days off for Christmas and four or so for Easter, though as our schools are secular they're just called winter and spring break. We have all of June, July, and August off and various days off throughout the year.

Also kids don't start formal schooling until 5 when they begin kindergarten, and many people are now holding their kids back til they're 6. You can send your DC to preschool but you don't have to. DS is in preschool now and goes Monday-Thursday from 8-11. He'll turn 6 in July and go to kindergarten in September. The school day then will be 8:15-2:45.

Its another thread in which the OP mixes up school and childcare and sees school primarily as a place to put DC while she is at work...

I LOVE my job as a teacher. It is what I always wanted to do and I feel proud of the fact I have never given up on a child no matter how difficult they are. I give up my evenings and weekends to mark their work and plan the best lessons I can. I don't moan about it as I knew the score when I started and the thought of 13 weeks holiday made the evening and weekend work worth it.

If you take away the holidays I believe there will be a mass exodus from the profession. There won't be anything that makes the stress of constant observations and assessment of our roles as teachers and the abuse we get from students worthwhile.

I also don't know where the money will come from to pay us all extra as we currently don't get paid for our holidays.

On a side note, many people who volunteer to run clubs such as guides and scouts are teachers. I don't mind losing two weeks of my holidays to run activities and camps for children. If I only get 4 weeks a year, there is no way I would give up half my holiday to look after other people's children for free, and I'm sure that many feel the same so many of these clubs would fold.

It makes me sad that people don't want to spend the holidays with their children. I get that people have to work but its the people who don't want to spend time with them that gets me. I love children and would give anything to have one to spend the holidays with :(

Social services, education...haven't seen a good nurse bashing thread for a while maybe I'll start one just to make up the set ;)

Don't agree with halving the number of holidays school kids get.

I would support moving the school holidays around a bit so they're more evened out - so say longer Christmas & Easter holidays but shorter summer ones, or 4 shorter terms with the 13 weeks holiday in betweeen them as evenly as possible.

But same number of holidays overall.

cantspel - Germany. My 7patriotic year old finishes school at 11.20 am 2happy days a week, 12.15 2at days a week and 1pmthe on her "long" day once a week.

She started school a week before her 6thto birthday and was the youngest child in the school at that point.

The time they are in school is no nonesense, fast paced, inflexible and intense though and they are at the same standard as average same sge peers in the uk now.

YABU. Surely people want to spend time with their children? Schools are NOT childcare.

Sorry -Filipa silly phone, no idea where patriotic came from.

I'd hate taking 4the weeks from summer to add to christmas purely due to the weather.

I am going to stop MN ing on my phone!

The OP is just trying to find a solution to the fact that society has changed drastically with regards to the percentage of households where both parents are working over the last 40 years, whilst school hours and holidays have stayed the same.

It's a very real issue for lots of parents, and is a reasonable debate to have, but think that it would get more traction from the teachers involved if teachers' holidays being shortened wasn't alwaysg presented as the only solution.

This inevitably leads to unhelpful and defensive " end. Of. " type comments, combined with a reiterated need for children to have some rest time, or teachers validly pointing out at they're not childcare.

Rather than re-hashing this for the umpteenth time, couldn't we address the OP's concern as a valid problem in a country where both parents are being encouraged to work both by the gvernment and economics, and propose some other solutions?

Schools (the as in the buildings and facilities) could be kept open with totally different staff and a non residential holiday camp model, but the problem would be in financing that...

It would be sad to see free play time erroded away and replaced with wall to wall structured activity, so any holiday camp plan should try to build in time when supervision is designed to keep children safe but not to structure and organsise, as well as time for sport, cooking, craft, drama, and outings.

Except that essential maintenance is carried out in the holidays when the schools are empty.

Looked at afresh from all angles: what do children need in order to learn and develop, a new look at the exam timetable, the length of the school day, the school starting age, real access to flexible working, parental leave etc.

We have a terrible history in this country of looking at an issue and slapping on the first available answer, or bolting on one aspect of practice from one European country while ignoring the context, or focussing on one aspect of evidence and ignoring the rest.

I would like to see a it meant to the idea that it is normal for men to take leave for child are, that it is not primary an issue connected with working mothers, and provision for unpaid 'holiday sabbaticals'. I would like to be able to take more holiday weeks off work, and so would Dp. And to weight the school hols in favour of the warmer months.

There wouldn't be any teachers! They would leave the profession in droves.
The government couldn't afford it- holidays are not paid so to find an extra 7 weeks pay for every teacher would be an impossibility.
I can't imagine who would want their children taught be exhausted teachers.
Using the buildings for childcare, holiday clubs etc would be fine but you would have to find staff and pay them - good childcare doesn't come cheap. You couldn't expect it to be free.
Speaking as a parent I loved the holidays and unstructured time.

No. But I am a teacher, so I would say that

I wish parents of pre schoolers understood that they need a break too. I work in early years and some children attend from 8-6, 51 weeks a year (we close for a week at christmas).

The parents have holidays from work but still keep them in childcare as they are tired and need a break!!!!! What about the child!!

I have also known parents who have time off in school holidays with school age child but leave other child in nursery so small child/baby has no "holiday" at all.

I have 2 children myself and struggle with holiday care but I do see that children need a break, the only thing I would change is the summer holidays from 6 weeks to 4 as by week 4 my son is bored and is asking to go back to school.

What?! I'm a teacher & even if paid the "extra" I still wouldn't do it. In fact after my maternity leave I came back 0.8 so could spend a day with my DD - my only day in fact as I spend my evenings/weekends working. U dont mind this however, I love my job (seriously!) but I also love my holidays as this is when I get to spend time with my DD! I know this has been said in droves but teachers aren't babysitters and children need time to be children. Has the OP ever seen a "burnt out" child? I seen hundreds the week before a holiday & it isn't fun or me or them. Holidays rock (& I'm writing this from a beautiful Lake District setting :) )

I love the holidays but think they could be spread out a bit better. Ds is shattered and was very ready for a break.

I know childcare can be tricky but they need the rest and time to just play!

If you just look at it from the child's point of view they need a childhood and some breaks! OP obviously hasn't had a class of young children at the end of a long term- they are exhausted and it is difficult to teach them anything. After a reasonable break they come back refreshed in mind and body and ready for fresh challenges. ( so do the teachers)

Children should come with a warning - they are inconvenient - they take time- they need a childhood. They can't make do with 6 weeks holiday and be in the constrictions of a classroom for the rest.

Yabu, jesus christ oly 2 weeks of summer holidays? No thank you

YABU. Teachers are not there to provide childcare at your convenience.