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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Why do school s insist on having the 6 week break in August...

338 replies

EezerGoode · 02/08/2017 17:23

Why not have a week of every month? Or just allow each area to set its own holidays..we could all then go on holiday in June or may ,when there actually was nice weather..and it would be cheaper..we all seem to accept it often rains in August..meaning we pay top whack for holidays when it pisses down....so what is stopping headteachers spreading the holidays throughout the year so we can take advantage of decent weather and cheaper prices??!!

OP posts:
noblegiraffe · 04/08/2017 11:27

I'm another teacher who would quit if I didn't get the same holidays as my kids. And don't fuck around with the 6 weeks, it's the only time of year I feel properly human.

I'm not sure people care about the teacher recruitment and retention crisis until they come on here and moan about how their kid has a crap maths teacher who doesn't know what they're talking about or a series of supply teachers and ask how the situation can be rectified only to be told it can't, and this is how it is these days.

Snap8TheCat · 04/08/2017 11:33

Well if teaching parents only have to cope for the same amount of years as other non teaching parents surely? You don't have 46 years of working around your own dc either?

If you want to phrase it that it's a whole of career sacrifice then my point stands- other careers also have these sacrifices. My DH doesn't get a lovely two weeks off guaranteed off each year. Very often he has to work Christmas Day itself. We all make sacrifices for our jobs and families. Teachers aren't the only ones!

Snap8TheCat · 04/08/2017 11:34

*two weeks off around Christmas and new year that was supposed to be.

CauliflowerSqueeze · 04/08/2017 11:37

We have 46 years of never being able to go on an off-peak holiday, never going to a resort that isn't packed, rarely experiencing a holiday without dozens of kids.

We also have 46 years of unpaid holidays. My friend's husband gets huge amounts of highly paid overtime as well, something teachers of course don't get. Or bonuses.

CauliflowerSqueeze · 04/08/2017 11:38

Snap is your husband's holiday all unpaid?

Snap8TheCat · 04/08/2017 11:41

No but teachers are paid a pro-rated amount of holiday too. And you wouldn't be asked to work more- just differently.

Snap8TheCat · 04/08/2017 11:43

And he doesn't get overtime (though has to stay behind if stuck on a job, puts his life in danger, no bonuses, leave cancelled short notice,)

HoobleDooble · 04/08/2017 11:45

I'd quite like being able to take holidays without my DH and DS at home ... Oooh did I type that out loud? Grin

MiladyThesaurus · 04/08/2017 11:45

Snap: teachers are restricted to the school holidays whether they have kids or not. So the holidays affect them for far longer than parents complaining that it costs more to go on holiday while their children are at school.

Yes, other careers have holiday issues but many people go into teaching because they'll be able to have holidays when their children do. Change that and teaching recruitment and retention will become even more difficult.

I think lots of people on MN have a big chip on their shoulder about teachers and anything to do with them.

DumbledoresApprentice · 04/08/2017 11:46

Any headteacher willing to compromise GCSE results so that parents can have more convenient holidays is either very brave or very stupid. A longer summer term just makes no sense from the point of view of educating children. For kids in exam years it would be lunacy.

CauliflowerSqueeze · 04/08/2017 11:47

No teachers are not paid for any part of any holiday. We are paid 1265 hours a year to work.

You should recommend teaching to your husband!

MiladyThesaurus · 04/08/2017 11:48

And remember that this is just parents complaining that school holidays aren't organised to suit them individually. It's not life and death. It's wanting to save a couple of hundred pounds on a week in Spain or somehow imagining that the British weather is reliably glorious at some other time.

noblegiraffe · 04/08/2017 11:49

Teachers don't deny that other professions have downsides too, or are difficult jobs.

But the holidays we have are one of very few perks (the other being to get to teach lovely kids occasionally in between marking, planning and looking at spreadsheets).

Mess with that perk, and there would be very little left to keep many teachers in the job.

This would be a huge issue, given that the supply of qualified teachers is already at a crisis point.

DumbledoresApprentice · 04/08/2017 11:50

Cauliflower- that's not technically true. 1265 hours are what we are required to work but our pay covers our statutory holiday entitlement too. A significant chunk of our holidays are unpaid but not all of it is.

noblegiraffe · 04/08/2017 11:51

Schools already have exam classes coming in over the Easter holiday and the May half term.

Snap8TheCat · 04/08/2017 11:54

Ok well I'll leave you lot to whinge away! As I said further up the thread, this doesn't affect us one little bit. I work around my DH's shifts and the children quite happily. I'll leave you to your pity party. If you hate your job that much and it's only 6 weeks off that's keeping you going then I should head off and let you wallow. It'll be over before we know it.

CauliflowerSqueeze · 04/08/2017 11:57

No pity party or wallowing. Just stating the terms and conditions under which teachers work.

BoneyBackJefferson · 04/08/2017 11:57

Snap8TheCat

the only pity that I feel is for people that feel the need to post goady rubbish as they (allegedly) leave a thread.

Snap8TheCat · 04/08/2017 11:58

Except the bit about denying you are paid annual leave... Hmm

Alexandrite · 04/08/2017 12:02

Are you still here?

noblegiraffe · 04/08/2017 12:03

Snap if you have school-aged children then messing around with the holidays causing teachers to quit at an even higher rate than they are already will affect you. Or rather the education of your kids.

BoneyBackJefferson · 04/08/2017 12:04

DumbledoresApprentice

people keep saying that we have a holiday entitlement. can you link to it?

I have been through the books and all that I have seen is that I am paid for 1265 hours spread over the year.

I have not seen any link to holiday entitlement.

BoneyBackJefferson · 04/08/2017 12:05

Snap8TheCat

back to goad some more?

WaxOnFeckOff · 04/08/2017 12:11

Well, I amongst others have been guilty of associating the teachers having holidays when their DC are off and therfore the massive advantage that is. I'd forgotten about the many many teachers that have no children (or grandchildren) of school age or at all.

I appreciate more the tie to school holidays that is when you don't have DC to care for.

It also impacts on staff in other occupations as it also means that partners of teachers also tend to be limited to the same school holidays and are again fighting for time off at the same time as people with children in school.

I don't know if there is an answer that suits everyone. The status quo doesn't, but in the absense of anything better then there doesn't seem any point in changing it.

CauliflowerSqueeze · 04/08/2017 12:12

Dumbledore I think that holiday entitlement is only for supply teachers.

"Normal" teachers are contracted to work 190 days including 5 training days.