To think the schools break up far too late?

[justnotaballetmum]

They do, don't they?

It is nearly the end of July. The best weather (ha, I know, but stay with me!) has gone. It's practically August by the time they are released and distinctly autumnal.

Wouldn't it be better to break up start of July and give them a couple of extra weeks?

It is difficult Property, just not sure it's massively any different to when they are in school. It is just that people who DO have more flexible schedules are, as someone said above, putting children to bed in stuffy rooms when it's light outside for them to waste a day in school. I would advocate a system like the Scottish schools but it appears Scotland don't agree

Many summer camps are only open from (say) 9.30 to 3.30, again, a nightmare for any working parents. Colleagues understandably also get resentful if you are all always fighting for the same holidays. Luckily several of mine have the luxury of a non-working partner, but they still want to spent time together as a family.

Shark, how do you propose that families cope with finding another 3 or 4wks cover out of thin air or are you just saying that's tough, not your problem? Mine are still up at 6.45 throughout the holiday to enable me to work, like many families.

Anyway, why do you think a day in school is wasted? DD breaks up in 15 minutes, but she has had proper lessons all morning writing up a geography field trip and working on Macbeth.

It's definitely wasted here. DS hasn't done anything 'proper' since the start of July (Y4.)

Things will change as soon as you hit the teenage years!

No it's no different to when they're in school. That was partly my point; that schools often expect children to return all rested and refreshed after the summer holidays when that's not necessarily the case for all. Ds3, just turned 5. I'm quite sure his new Y1 teacher in Sept will expect them rested. Certainly his Reception teacher talked a lot during the summer term about how exhausted they were. They broke up yesterday and I'm actually at home today as the summer care doesn't start until tomorrow.

Propertyquandry

I don't think all children should be punished because of some parents. You don't design a school system because it's "easier" for some parents, you should only have the children best interest. Otherwise, you might as well send them to boarding school during the week because it makes childcare easier. I can't see how sitting in a sweltering classroom in your uniform is beneficial to any child in primary school.

Better summer camp would probably help, many other countries manage really well, shame the UK is once again behind.

I genuinely don't understand why school holidays are a sudden discovery for some parents!

Autumn doesn't begin until the end of September!!
Mine don't break up until next Tuesday and go back on the 7th Sep. I think that is long enough to be honest. In fact I think they should only have 4 weeks in the summer and another week at Oct and feb half term instead.

Even as a current SAHP I not sure I want them to have more holiday or more added onto the 6 weeks.

I really would like them to be productive in at least the majority of days at school.

I just think a radical re-think about a better system is over due - but can't see anything really happening as it's too big with to many repercussions.

I think moving main exam period out of high hay fever period should be a priority - but even that is too hard.

I do agree with shark, although less harshly. Every family has to decide what works best for them - but that doesn't mean everything has to orbit around the assumption that all families have a situation as described above.

Gosh yes. It always makes me sad when news stories come on to say that children should have their summer holidays shortened. I remember loving having a long summer holiday.

I just think a radical re-think about a better system is over due

so very true, but I am not sure we all agree on what a better system is

so very true, but I am not sure we all agree on what a better system is

True.

I have sympathy for 4 weeks but suspect result would be even higher holiday prices plus don't want another week in Oct and Feb when weather is more likely to be bad.

Though Christmas would suit us despite weather as family more likely to be off than in summer so could visits - but that's just us.

I think change will upset just as many people are are currently unhappy if not more - plus exams marking getting results ect all pile into other things and it would undoubtedly cost money - so think we are stuck with what we have.

They're not a sudden discovery. But what forward planning could I possibly do? That's a genuine question. Other than go into teaching. There's DH and I both working f/t, both in careers that taking 5yrs out would mean no real way back. Fwiw, DH certainly earns more than enough that I don't need to work but if I stopped there really would've no way back in. It's difficult to do part time too. But there are thousands of families who rely on both salaries so giving up one would be disastrous. We have zero living family to help either.

So the holidays weren't a surprise but I'd like to ask sincerely how we could have planned/prepared for them better?

People who say nothing much gets done in the last two weeks, surely that is always going to be the case whenever the last two weeks are?

We'd need better summer camps and some sort of holiday care for Christmas, Easter and the 3 half terms. I have yet to come across anywhere that offers clubs at Christmas or during half term.

Even when I was at school myself, I wondered why we were at school in June when the weather was usually glorious and at home in August which is basically autumn in England. The school summer holidays should be shifted forward in the year so as to have the best possibility of good weather (and not have hot children sitting in school wanting to be on the beach or in the park!) The Scots' holiday dates are better.

Also agree that school holidays could be longer in England - write to your M.P.!

But Property, that again comes down to - you have made a decision that suits your family. Why shouldn't all families be able to do this?

People who say nothing much gets done in the last two weeks, surely that is always going to be the case whenever the last two weeks are?

It been much longer than two weeks - that my main issue.

Last school was about two weeks but there was a lot of shows, dance and musical and end of topic fun stuff in those weeks - so less academic but still productive and dvd were last day or two.

I just think if the terms were shorter and the staff and children wind down might not be as long and perhaps if weather as less hot ie slightly different year ending perhaps it would be easier to keep going longer.

It's academic though as I don't see any real change - and the tinkering that some councils have tried usually doesn't go down well with someone and it ends up all over news so there is even less incentive to try in future.

Thanks for that grannytomine let the parents get utterly broke then! So considerate. :)

But many families cannot choose for one to give up work. School holidays historically worked due to many mothers saying at home. Most working parents find it a nightmare which surely indicates a problem that needs looking at.

I'd prefer an extra week in May, and if they brought the October half term holiday to the beginning of October, the weather would be ok if you had a 2 week break then.

Have 4 weeks in July rather than August. The weather in August is usually more dodgy than in July and there's a definite difference in the length of the days by August.

And I'm still interested in what forward planning potential parents could do? Other than one of them (usually the mother) give up work.

But Property you could extend that argument to say children should be in school for 48 weeks a year because of working parents and I don't think that's a good thing.

I fully appreciate some families will struggle and for these families there should be affordable and quality childcare available.

But for families who do not - children in stuffy classrooms in July isn't on!