To think we should do away entirely with school holidays?

[SkaPunkPrincess]

Just musing and wondering why we don't just do away with them entirely?

Run schools like a regular workplace in that they operate 52 weeks of the year, Teachers and students to get 4 weeks allocated holiday allowance per year and parents can use this at their discretion. Staff would be able to be more flexible and they would have more time in the year to teach children at a more realistic pace?

Am I missing why this isn't a genius idea?

Have you been living under a rock OP? Education funding has been decimated. Some schools have already resorted to 4 day weeks or shorter days because they can't afford to stay open, parents are being asked to buy basic equipment and TA's are now a rare luxury in some areas. But you think they can somehow find the money to pay all their staff for an extra 13 weeks of the year because it suits you?

Anyone who has ever worked in a school knows that this idea is completely unworkable. Who is going to fill in for all these Teachers when they take their holidays in term time? It makes not sense whatsoever. Behaviour and attendance really starts to deteriorate towards the end of term as the kids are exhausted. They need the holidays to recharge and actually, you know, be children.

@Buxbaum I apologise, I jumped the gun there. I actually agree with you and see the effect even a one week holiday can have on some of the kids at my school.

teachers are only paid for the time they work?

Teachers are salaried, with a contract that stipulates the hours they can be 'directed' in their work (i.e. made to teach, attend meetings, etc in school). It also says that they must additionally work as many hours as they need to in order to do their jobs properly (plan, mark, etc).

If the govt wanted them to be 'directed' for more weeks in school, they could change their contracts quite easily. I think (as others here do) that they'd struggle even more to find suckers willing to do the job, however.

@SharpieHorder worldwide support? Where?

Reading this thread has made me think something I never thought I'd think
Maybe we should privatise schools. The demands are now extraordinary and it is clearly seen as childcare by many.
If I go right wing I'm blaming op

''I bet some teachers would love a break out of the school holidays themselves''

Have yet to meet 1.

It's frustrating that the OP is not coming back to either argue how and why she still "muses" that her idea would work or admit that her idea won't stand up to any real analysis.

I think one point that I haven't seen addressed is that in any ordinary workplace the employee is giving - a service or skill or such like. A colleague can therefore fill in providing this in their absence. Whereas a pupil is receiving something. And if they are not there, cannot be replaced i.e. someone else can't receive it on their behalf.

LighthouseSouth said: Maybe we should privatise schools.

You need to pay better attention - what do you think academies and free schools are? As we speak, organisations are making money from the taxes you thought were allocated to the education of children. That's what "privatisation" of schools means.

Run schools like a regular workplace in that they operate 52 weeks of the year

How depressing.

So much for letting kids be kids.

Also the fact that our working pattern and environment is generally pretty shit for our health both physical and mental. Why impose that on our children

Buxbaum

I brought it up because having worked in education across different countries over the years it is really only England who use the summer holiday argument as being a negative thing to children's learning when really it is not that bad. Ireland get 3 months summer holidays in secondary school and they still greatly outperformed us in global league tables. Likewise English schools now have an obsession with setting and monitoring homework with clear paper trials when Finland which is number 1 have a policy of setting little homework...

And your point seems to be an argument that stemmed from Ofsted or the academy type place that have ruined education in England by making it an obsession over targets,data and progress and kids must be kept working working working.... That is why I spoke about Ofsted and England's system as a whole then because I feel we have totally got it wrong as we are still not in the top ten despite being 1 of the most monitored and intense systems in the world. There is even research to show that Ofsted have done more damage than good and I'd well believe it. And I know you did not go there with your argument but it was your argument sounded very ofted like.

I think a solid point here is that the school year and day shouldnt be based around the needs of working parents. Its about the child and should remain about the child.

It isn't though. The biological clock of teenagers is different in the sense that they have a problem getting up in the mornings and function better in the afternoons and evenings. But the school doesn't facilitate that. So for who is it then?

And I realise that the point of a school is to educate but there are so many rules and restrictions and tests that they don't do that for a significant part of the time. And if you have a child that can already do something (like speak a different language), they still have to be present for the lessons. Being present without learning something does sound like childcare to me.

Why are so many people keen on more holiday time when the weather is poorer and less time off in the summer? Keeping children entertained during the summer is so much easier (and cheaper).
Imagine the cost of going anywhere on holiday if schools had only 4 weeks off in the summer!

@Gottokondo using your example,does the child also know how to correctly write and form sentences in that language?

Also my school is open most of the year anyway as it rents out blocks for activities in the holidays like the barracudas club and best theatre.
This is a valuable source of income for the school and couldn't be done if students were in regular lessons.
It also gives working parents safe childcare where their 5 to 14 year old son can do sporting or drama activities
Yayyy for school hols I say!!

5 to 14 year old kids I meant stupid Samsung phone.

*RebelRogue
*
Yes.

Caribou sorry I used the wrong word

We should consider making schools fee paying schools.

To be fair, private companies have made money out of state schools long before academies etc.

It's all just getting so much. How huge would taxes be to provide the things some posters want from schools? I'm normally a leftie but it's got a bit mad. So has the NHS.

I think the holidays need to be longer and either the day shorter or the week shorter. Your idea sounds absuloutely dreadful for children.

Do you have any concept of how exhausted children get at the end of a half term?!

Taking away the fact that children need more of a break than that. How on earth would lessons work? Children get taught certain things at certain times so there would be gaps in their knowledge at different times.

Do you have any concept of how exhausted children get at the end of a half term?!

No.

Miggeldy sounds like on of those people, who is unable to put themselves in others shoes. My dd doesn’t get shattered. But I see friends children getting exhausted especially during the long autumn term.

Let’s face it - it’s a bonkers idea.

(What I meant about teachers etc is they might like to have a holiday without paying loads for it as the price is much higher)

Or one of those people asking a simple question and not really getting an answer.

I merely asked why so many children are so utterly exhausted. Nobody seems to know though.

@MiggeldyHiggins i answered. 2 8h days and 3 7 h days. Other classmates (they're 5-6) can be in childcare/school from 8 am until 6 pm.