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?

Mine are off since the 29th of June.And are back on the 31st August.I think i would rather a shorter summer but more equal times off during the year.I think Christmas and Easter should be a bit longer.

Problems caused by long summer holidays for low income groups in the US (where holidays are longer)

www.summerlearning.org/?page=know_the_facts

I've just been chatting with someone in Sweden - they break up beginning of July and go back mid-August.

I'm not saying that's the answer. But Shark argued that 'holidays were no surprise and parents should be prepared' and you agreed. I'm asking how parents can prepare. What preparations can a couple make prior to having children that would help them cope with meeting the needs of 13wks off school?

I'm not sure you can compare the US and the UK anyway.

No one is doubting that longer school holidays would mean some parents had to pay more for childcare, but I don't think we are advocating this but to change the holidays so the kids break up earlier and go back earlier!

But, Property, you ARE prepared, you have childcare in place.

Most working parents find it a nightmare which surely indicates a problem that needs looking at.

I'm still at home - which isn't great for me - because we couldn't swing the childcare costs a lot of that was no family help in holidays and steep prices in childcare available. So I hear what you are saying.

However it's only an considered an issue for parents with children really in Primary school ( not sure I agree 6 weeks no adults is long for 11 year old) - so it's not all parents and not all working parents.

Many working parents I know have family help - so it's not a huge issue for them many of them find pre/after school care more of an issue.

Not all working parents have full care - break ups etc - so shared holiday time - and some working parents have SAH spouses. So it's not a issue for them.

Some parents have term time working others I've know have managed none paid leave.

Most working parents every year cobble something together.

So I don't see any major political driving force that will produce change. Change itself will upset someone and cost money.

I do see lip service paid to working parents at election times - and poorly thought though headline grabbing ideas that often cause problems or get quietly dropped.

I do think it needs looking at because more parents work or want to work and because it is affecting children - there's research that shows long summer break adversely affects poorest children most - I just don't think anything will happen.

Blimey there are some proper mollycoddled snowflakes on here. July is too hot to be at school? The poor children get hot and sweaty? It's the 20th of July and we are on our second hot day. And who cares if they get hot? That's life.

It is nice, if you have all day free to decide to pop to the seaside or laze around in the garden, to dictate nice long holidays. But those of us who are working could probably do with a bit more help from you to make our hectic expensive lives a little easier if you don't mine terribly. And longer school holidays so your children don't get hot isn't going to help

Surely when you first think about having children you realise and think about the impact childcare will have on income and school holidays etc once their older.

The children need breaks and decent ones you see lots flagging as the half terms and summer holidays get closer.

And I do have access to affordable good quality childcare. It's just that we can barely cover (literally to the day) the holidays in their current form. Making the summer holidays longer, which many in this thread are advocating, would be literally disastrous for thousands of families barely managing to cover the status quo.

chattymummy, I don't understand your point? Of course I understood that childcare would be expensive. I'm not particularly concerned about that aspect, although it's a major issue for thousands of families. The hit on my income isn't the problem. Meeting 13wks of school holidays from 2 sets of standard annual leave is the problem.

And Chatty, I agree they need a break, I'm just unable to offer that to my children as they need to spend the summer in clubs 8-6.

Chattymummy- it's niave to say people should think about childcare before children. Things change, views change, affordability changes.

Fwiw I have loads of money to throw at childcare. I have 2 at FT nursery. But childcare which is school holidays only for 10 hours a day is practically non existent.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2023071/Long-school-holidays-are-bad-for-children.html

Every year you see headline like this around this time of year.

Still I think there is some room to move the holiday forward.

I think the exams finish before the last few weeks of school though not sure. I think that would be the main issue as the schools still need to run them - it would mean changes somewhere else though - and Autumn term is always a long one anyway and Christmas is fixed date.

But you knew that would happen when you had children, before they start school you have every single week that you need childcare.

There are paid for options for school holidays via childminders/camps/clubs.

You seem to be saying though property that - "because MY children need to be in childcare for the holidays, ALL children should be in school for as long as possible"?

If it's poor provisions in your area that needs looking at and maybe someone (not you purely a someone) could start up a business like that. It doesn't mean the holidays should be shorter though.

I always find August and early September to be nicer.

Be better if they broke up 1st August and back the third week of September.

Ha yeah chatty. I live in London, funny no one has thought of that, in the capital of all places.

There IS some provision for holiday childcare. But, and you won't know this if you SAH- you don't just dump your child anywhere. Not all childcare is suitable for all families. That lessens the provision even further, if you are not happy with some of the options.

For example, before I had my children my child care plans were a) camp America or b) and au pair. Now I have children I neither want them abroad alone for 2 months or with a hastily arranged stranger, who I don't want living in my houSe. But the naivety of being child free- you don't always make realistic plans 5 years before you need them

Where I live there is no club appropriate for my ds who is 11. There used to be a good 8 to 14 age group holiday club at the leisure centre but it closed down. There is no way he will want to go to a club for those aged 5 to 11 too many little ones for him so he goes to the childminder. He doesn't mind but he is left to his own devices a lot and doesn't go out if the weather is raining etc. Luckily he likes it as the childminder's son is his age. If not I would be up the creek and no paddle! He does get fed up with the 6 week break after 4 weeks though.

They break up mid June where I am and it's a huge problem. There's such a long break that a lot of kids fall behind and need to do summer school. It's also hard readjusting when they go back, for teachers and parents.

AND it means less breaks in the year so everyone gets so burnt out.

August is not "autumnal" by any stretch of the imagination. October is autumnal.

We finished on 28th June this year, back 17th August. We had a very hot spell of weather at the end of May, and it's been hit and miss since then. Last few days have been lovely. People will never be happy - we live in a small island on the edge of the Atlantic, if you want 6 or 7 weeks of guaranteed sunshine with zero chance of rain, you'll have to move somewhere else.

No, I'm not at all ssying that all children should be in school all year. And summer provision is fine where I live although it's poor at Christmas and Half term but that seems the same everywhere.

I'm saying firstly, how could I have prepared?
Secondly, if this is a problem faced by thousands and thousands of families across the country then surely the government need to look at it. I don't know any other couple where both work who don't find it stressful and frankly a nightmare. It directly causes things like children to be sent to school. I don't have the answer but for people on here to all for even longer holidays shows a massive empathy fail at the plight of many. If I was to say we should scrap tax credits because I don't need them, I'd be accused of lacking empathy and understanding about the everyday life of thousands. And quite right too.

July is too hot to be at school? The poor children get hot and sweaty? It's the 20th of July and we are on our second hot day. And who cares if they get hot? That's life.

DS has eczema that flares up when he gets over hot and sweaty - then need treatment that cost the NHS. It's easier to avoid at home but still he is living with it though so you should be happy there.

Currently he's tired as he doesn't sleep well - which I can't think is going to make him good at learning at the minute - possibly just as well they aren't really learning or revising stuff at the minute - but does beg the question what the point of him being there.

I can't take any of them out without being fined - and they can be funny about them being actually ill - even with 98% + attendance records yet the spend the days wasting time doing stuff like watching dvd.

But I'm not supposed to think at some point - maybe there's a better way?

The problem with making the summer holidays start earlier is that the Autumn term then becomes even longer. I think that the summer holidays could be a week shorter and a 2 week break in October could be introduced (like many private schools do already) to even up the terms a bit more.