to ask if you think your children need so much holiday

[manicinsomniac]

I'm coming at this as a teacher who loves every second of my holidays by the way so definitely not teacher bashing. It's a major perk of my job and I'd be devastated to lose it.

BUT

We always say the holidays are for the children, not the teachers and the children really need it because they're exhausted.

Do you think that's true?

We have extended days and Saturday school and my children were knackered for the first few days and had lots of down time. But now, a week and a half into our (crazily long 7.5 week holiday!) they're fully refreshed and would happily go back tomorrow if asked.

They really do not need 13+ weeks of down time a year. All their extra curriculars are term time only so I'm racing them about to open dance classes, free summer events, into London, sending them out to play for hours to get rid of energy. They're certainly not acting like poor, exhausted little beings. In a week or so they're even going to have to start doing some holiday work with me, I think.

We love having the holidays because we tend to go travelling (off to America for all of August this year) so I'm certainly not saying I want them gone.

Just questioning whether, actually, 2 weeks off for each holiday plus half terms (so 9 weeks holiday in total) would be perfectly sufficient and make life easier for a lot of people?

Mine is 2 weeks into a 9 week summer holiday. Dd actually said yesterday she wished the summer holidays were not so long. I do think they need some time off to let of steam and be themselves. But nine weeks is way too much imo

I strongly believe that DC need time away from the classroom to consolidate learning through individual and self-driven activity as well as to travel and learn in contexts outside the daily routine and familiar faces. If some pardnts cannot afford to organise that (or cannot be bothered to) we need to look at alternative modes of delivery rather than depriving all DC in the name of equality.

Totally agree with millionprammiles!
Agree also that long hols are beneficial for older kids too but my dd is 6. She is an only child so relies on me and my dh a lot, although obv we arrange playdates/sleepovers etc for her. We don't have a lot of money so the six weeks isn't one long endless stretch of day trips etc We both work, which in today's world is common of many families, not because we are "money hungry" but because it's always good to pay the mortgage/bills.
I think the long hols throughout the year are incompatible with today's world...who gets 13 weeks off a year?! Back when I was a child (30 odd years ago) my mum stayed at home and looked after us and my dad worked (in those days you could live off one income). Even then after about 4 wks I was bored...All your friends are away on hols so you don't see them til you get back to school.
like my dd, I loved school and missed it and was always keen to get back (geek, I know!).
As I said initially, maybe my views will change as my dd gets older but I do feel the lengths of the school hols throughout the year need a serious rethink to bring them up to date with the times.

I have a full time job so our routine doesn't change at all during the summer-it makes no difference to us except the childcare bill increases

Bonsoir, I agree. Ds is like a different child in the holidays, he's a joy to be around. I can only assume it's because the pressure is off him a bit and he can ' just be.'

It's only 51/2 weeks in our county, we only broke up on Friday, no idea why it's so short because I am not aware we have had any extra holiday to anywhere else.

The way they cope in the USA is that the cost of living is so much lower many middle class woman give up work as with holidays and the ludicrously short mat leave make working difficult.

Lower income families leave the kids home alone, or in the care of someone who works different shifts, I well remember visiting a friend who wasn't actually sure home many children where in her care, as often the parents wouldn't ask her or drop the kids off just tell them, you need anything, see if Jane, Mary or Bob are in

well, going against the grain....I believe the overall benefits of year round schooling outweigh those of lengthy holiday blocks. Many of you are speaking from the point of view of better off, engaged parents. Many children unfortunately rely on school for food, normalcy, routine, basic engagement, safety etc. Many children will be wandering around with nothing positive to do, with no parental supervision and certainly not with actual camps and holidays planned.

I think holidays are important and I value my own - however I have means to take a fair bit of time off from work. Huge swaths of children will be spending those lazy days in their regular daycare programs for extended hours - not doing travelling for weeks on end. Also it is interesting to consider the degree of regression in academics from children after summer break and the amount of time spent then catching up - again with more vulnerable groups the worst hit and which sadly, do not represent an insignificant number of students.

I would love to see a slightly shorter summer break (say 4 weeks) then tack on an extra week to a couple of other holidays (an extra week off before Christmas would be great for a start! They always seem to break up 2 days before christmas eve and I hate it. I want to take them out to do proper Christmas things like markets etc)

Fixit - exactly.
Maybe its as a consequence of background, upbringing or simply the area I live in but I find it hard not to be conscious that the summer hols are a huge step backwards for some kids.

We do have some great childrens centres that continue activities through the hols but even their funding is under threat.

Try where I am (in Europe) - all schools - public and private - broke up on June 19... and will reopen on September 21! We both work full time and end up paying a babysitter for months, although I try to organise to work at home as much as possible. There are (paid for) summer clubs for sports etc but really it's ridiculous - by the time the children go back to school they've pretty much forgotten everything they learnt the previous spring.