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?

Given that children in the UK come bottom in happiness rankings, putting them in year round school really wouldn’t help. I cannot understand the posters who want to make school match work instead of making work family-friendly. You clearly aren’t opposed to radical change if you want to scrap school holidays, so why not put children’s wellbeing first and propose radical changes to the workplace so that everyone could benefit from a healthier, happier balance??

But the attitude some teachers seem to have (I see on MN all the time and hear it irl) that they are the only profession that works long (unpaid) hours is quite rediculous

Point taken. That's one.

captain exactly!!!!!

It's another musing, goody thread. There are enough of these on Mumsnet to sink a battleship.
YAWN.

There are countries where there are no school breaks other than the summer e.g. USA, China that I know of. How do the children there manage without the constant break in schooling ? The curriculum is spread out with less pressure during the year. In China lots of primary children actually go on to evening school straight after primary and work until 7 p.m. Some will say that is ridiculous, others will be of the mind that is why they have so much success education wise. Some comments about teachers not being paid for holidays. This is not so, they have salaries for a whole year. Some admin staff are employed for the whole year too. Other places in the UK manage to allow pupils to take annual leave within term time, why can't England.

Sending children to evening school until 7pm is ridiculous. No success is worth that kind of sacrifice.

No, teachers are not paid for the holidays. Their salary is split over twelve months for convenience so it is a lesser monthly salary than if they were just paid in term time months.

manicmij
There are countries where there are no school breaks other than the summer e.g. USA, China that I know of
UTTER BOLLOCKS

Spring break is a two week party fest for high school kids in the US
Christmas break is two weeks
Thanksgiving is a four day weekend

Chinese schools DEFINITELY have breaks at New Year and other times.

Lol children are not adults
Not everyone wants only four weeks a year holiday we use all 12 weeks holidays travelling abroad and take an extra couple or so weeks on top of that usually . Shortening it to 4 weeks would completely suck.
The issue is that a lot of Schools are completely crap and kids are unhappy there .
And if all schools were amazing fun filled learning places then there would be a case for it but as a huge amount of kids are tired and miserable after a few weeks of term I’d not fancy having the poor things suffer longer !

manic I lived in the states for 3 years.... they absolutely have half term and end of term breaks Ever heard of spring break?!

China lots of primary children actually go on to evening school straight after primary and work until 7 p.m. Some will say that is ridiculous, others will be of the mind that is why they have so much success education wise

Depends what you define as success. If you are looking purely at academic exam results then maybe, but China and America (which are both very overly academic focused) have trouble with producing children who cannot think creatively and critically because they’ve not been taught to think, only to learn facts by rote.

Google educationnin Silicon Valley. You will see that the vast majority of tech executives send their children to progressive alternative Waldorf type schools because they recognise that is what the future of tech companies will need from their workforce

See:

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/feb/15/robots-schools-teaching-children-redundant-testing-learn-future

School is not glorified daycare so it shouldn’t be aimed at matching working weeks and hours and it doesn’t take more than a few hours a day to teach the curriculum in decent small classes and that’s with a Good 12-16 weeks off school each year !

We don’t need less holidays we need more efficient Schools !

School timetable was worked out based on the children's work act.

The effort, discipline and focus required for learning is very tiring and does equate to 'real work' - with that in mind it is right the children's work act is still followed and respected.

Children are children and should be allowed to be children - one of the motivators behind the children's work act. Being at school (work) having to follow the particular rules, dress uniform and guided activities does give children the chance to be themselves never mind children. As a teacher I knew children who were incredibly reserved at school. When they left I found out they had a wicked sense of humour and were the life ans souls of parties, were strong leaders - in short a different person to the child I knew in class. If they had been forced to be at school 52 weeks when would they have been able to develop this part of their personality?

Schools are not childcare nor should they ever become childcare. That is the parents job not schools and not governments. We do not have a right to child care. Having children is a choice. Children are the responsibility of the parents. If you can't care or support a child don't have one.

Teachers do not get paid for holidays. Are you happy to pay way more taxes? Should childless people have to pay more taxes? I can accept why they should to help educate the population but not to pay for the life choices of others - having children is a choice so child care is the responsibility of the parents not the taxpayer.

You are now an adult who did not have to go to school 52 weeks a year, who as an adult do have a choice as to where you work and how long you work - I accept there may be some restrictions on choice but the choice is there. A very selfish and unrealistic suggestion.

Absofrigginlootly

I will post to save you the effort.

I personally don't know any teachers that think the school system isn't broken and doesn't need fixing.

But there are more sensible ways to go about it than making the pupils do a standard working week.

And lets not forget that for however many people post on here about child centred/led learning and teaching (because that is what it is) there are more posters that are against it.

IMO it seems that people (and the government) are not willing to give up control.

Boneyback spot on!!!! 👍

I think turn it around - give workplaces the same holiday allowance as schools.

I really don't think we get enough and I would love a month off in the summer just to really have a break and get away.

But the attitude some teachers seem to have (I see on MN all the time and hear it irl) that they are the only profession that works long (unpaid) hours is quite rediculous

I assume as you can't spell ridiculous you have never been a teacher. I have and I can assure you that it was hell in comparison to the private sector job I got afterwards. There is also a shortage of teachers which kind of confirms that it can't be that great and it wasn't just me.

It's easy to see the education system as free child care but it's not. So it's not structured to facilitate parent's work schedules.
I mean some parents under your proposal might not even take the discretionary 4 weeks holiday for their child at all. They'd just leave them at school for 52 weeks of the year.
This

Oops - bold didn't work :-(

I assume as you can't spell ridiculous you have never been a teacher.

Actually I’m dyslexic and rely heavily on autocorrect to spot my spelling mistakes

But no, I’ve never been a teacher. Used to be an NHS nurse though working 13 hour shifts back to back, going home and worrying that I’d missed something important and that someone might die because of it. And not eaten or drunk much all day, with bladder and kidney pain and headaches. So I know what hellish jobs are like

I'm sure you do but as you say you've never been a teacher. It is bloody hard. I've never been a nurse and as a result wouldn't make sweeping comments about that job role and how hard it is, other than to say it isn't something I could do personally. The nurses I know are happier than the teachers but that is purely anecdotal.

But likewise there is a shortage so it's clearly no bed of roses I'm sure.

I haven’t made any sweeping statements about how hard teaching is or isn’t??

I said teachers don’t have the monopoly on working unpaid overtime

I personally think they should have 3 weeks at Christmas and the 3 x 2 week breaks spread equally throughout the rest of the year x As for Teachers need a break - join the rest of us!!!

OK if you say so. I also FWIW don't think teachers think they do have a monopoly on it, at least not in my experience. They just get pissed off with people telling them about what holidays they have and that some lawyer or city banker who earns ££££££ works till midnight every day. It is a bloody hard, exhausting job no more or less. I constantly got told by mil that my bil had a harder job than mine and didn't get the holidays. I was 🙄 and having worked now for 11 years in the private sector quite simply don't believe it.