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?

Daftest idea I have ever heard.

Why is honey getting such a hard time over her qualification comments? She quite clearly meant that both nursing and teaching require an undergraduate degree at minimum. It's an important point because there often seems to be something of an assumption that if we weren't teaching we'd be stacking shelves in a supermarket or similar for NMW - not that there is anything wrong with such a job, of course, but you don't need a degree to do it.

Oh the long summer break! We used to get 10 glorious weeks of happiness and freedom. One week of holidays by the beach. A week with our cousins. A week with our other cousins. 2 weeks of cousins staying with us. Helping out at home on the farm, playing with our neighbours, no routine or alarm clock. Rainy days devouring books. Being able to play fight plan with my brothers and sisters instead of just passing them in the hall. Staying up late to play cards with Dad or to go for long walks in the woods with Mom with no homework to worry about. Bliss bliss bliss.
I recently returned to Ireland and last year my children did the same. I took parental leave from work for a month and took 3 weeks holidays. My husband took lots of holidays too. We had cousins to stay, days on the beach, days in the forest, days at the lake, a weeks holidays in Ireland, cousins to stay over, they stayed with their cousins. Rainy days sitting around reading and playing board games or going to the cinema. Long glorious days of reconnecting with family and taking time off of the threadmill of work, homework, training etc

Buxbaum

Thank you! Maybe I just worded it badly but honestly it's a valid point

It was perfectly clear honey apart from to people who got 2.1 degrees apparently . Loads of teachers have 2.2s, particularly older ones but that's the same for most jobs. I predict the way it's going with shortages there will be more again with 2.2s in the future.

What?! People with 2.1 are a totally mixed bunch of people. People with amazing memories who get by with little study. Those who understand hard concepts easily but don’t have great memories. People who struggled but studied long and hard. People who everything comes easy to, but couldn’t slow down to teach someone who doesn’t have the same natural abilities. I put zero importance in someone’s degree results.

I only got a 2.1
I was only a few points away from a first but my dad got cancer during my final year and it affected one module which brought my average down

Of course! All kinds of things contribute to your grade. Someone who lives at home will get a better grade than someone who has to work, cook , clean or live in cramped uncomfortable rooms. Or they should!

Lol who is saying there is anything wrong with getting a 2.1? Why the angst about degree results anyway degree study is one narrow period of life and study and only matters for getting your first job. I know some seemingly fairly dozy people with 1sts and intelligent people with 3rds. Some people get 3As and then get a 2.2, they don't suddenly become dense.

Personally, I'd love this (though I think 6 weeks holiday allowance would be better for us because our school day finishes at 5 - 8pm and we have Saturday school so we do a lot more hours than most schools).

My salary would be huge and I could go on holiday at cheaper times of the year. I could take days off to do one off things that I'd love to do (especially Saturday things like hen dos and weekends away with friends that I always miss out on).

For a single adult long chunks of time off when few other people are off isn't that great and isn't necessary.

But the point of the long holidays is for the children, not the teachers. Most children would hate it and really struggle to cope. Ours are worn out at the end of each half term. Their days are so full on, they're under quite a lot of pressure, do so many activities and really do need frequent breaks.

I do think the summer break is too long. I'd probably make half term holidays 2 weeks long and take the extra off the summer.

I live in Spain. Our school holidays are 3 months. Finish mid June, go back mid September.

6 weeks is nothing.

Yes, we have a lot of bank holidays here, the school also get 3 days holiday a year, they usually tack these on to a bank holiday weekend so you get an extra long weekend.

2 weeks at Christmas, and a week and a day for Easter.

It's so hot here in the summer it makes sense, and we can go away and do a housesit/swap for a month or so in the summer if we like.

But interestingly, although the school year is structured differently, the number of teaching hours will be almost identical to the UK

Also in June they finish early, so more or less half days.

I guess so. The DC got to school 9-12.20 (then a long lunch break, we bring them home because we live on the same road as the school, but a lot have lunch at school and do other activities). Then they go back 3-4.30.

It used to be 9-1pm, then 3-5pm but budget cuts and all that. Schools had to reduce hours.

9-12.30 that should have said.

Now they go 9-12.30, then 3-4.30.

Yup, so its around 5 hours of lessons a day
and it will be 190 days of lessons a year
so around 950 hours of teaching a year

pretty much all systems hover just under the 1000 mark

There are many problems with this.
Firstly, and most importantly, teachers are paid for 195 days of work a year (190 teaching and 5 TED days) so where are we going to find the money to pay all the teachers for the extra time they need to work? They can't be expected to do nearly twice as much work for no more money plus all the extra planning, assessing and marking that will need doing.
Children already get burned out after an 8 weeks term so their attainment and achievement will go way down if they have to work all year with no break. They're children they need breaks.
What about after school and holiday clubs who depend on the business of holidays. They'll be put of work.
If all teachers and children take 4 weeks a year off where will the consistency be? How will they ensure everyone is at the same place without repeating stuff for the people who were there?

Yeah there is a reason it's not already done... it wouldn't work!

Congrats OP, you've made the Fail:

www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5791749/Mumsnet-user-says-school-holidays-cancelled-four-weeks-allocated-like-workplace.html

Urgh

With the obligatory slagging off of mumsnet users. We dare to be females with opinions! 😂 😂

I think teachers should be paid more. A great deal more. It should be a job which brings among the highest pay in the country and carries status to match.

I think terms should be shorter.