To think School summer holidays should begin on the 1st of July.

[letstalk2000]

It happens every year that the last three weeks of the school term become a sweat box. Why not abolish the Summer Half term holidays and find a week somewhere else to compensate.

. The 'published' school year(knowing that private schools finish 1st week in July). would be better starting the last week in August and finishing on the 30th of June.

They do in Scotland, sometimes we finish as early as 28 June

It's nicer to be off during August than July as the weather is usually better. I'd rather just have four weeks though and have the other two at Christmas. That break is short and would be better being longer.

They do in NI. I think that it makes the holidays too long though - I’d prefer 6 weeks

In NI we finish end of june and back 1st sept. Its great! We both work so childcare is a pain but its easier for all my colleagues to get a decent spell of annual leave when we have 8-9 weeks to split it over. As w child it felt like we were off forever!

Totally agree to finishing at the end of june/early July. August can be terrible weather! I would happily forget the May half term even just to finish a week earlier. Or cut the Feb one out.

Southern Ireland 31st May for my teen till 1st September

I would start them even earlier, it’s been boiling here (London) since the middle of June! Thoug personally I would completely change the structure of the school year, given that children are no longer needed to bring in the harvest! I wouldn’t have the Easter holidays attached to Easter anymore, just make it a spring holiday, and I would make the winter, spring and summer holidays the same length, and perhaps longer half terms.

Chocolate . I know NI finish last week in June and typically begin after August bank holiday .

This year is different but over the last 4/5 years I have noticed the 'hottest' weather in England typically is between mid June and end of July.

Plenty of times the last 2 weeks in August tend to be rather 'overcast'.

I sort of agree with you. However, I do have some concerns:

1. When Easter falls early the summer term is going to be very long - especially if you propose to abolish the half term holiday.

1. Your proposal would mean that two extra bank holidays would fall within term time (the ones at the end of May and August). This is not good from a timetabling perspective as pupils will miss a disproportionate amount of Monday lessons (this is exacerbated in regions where all the teacher training days seem to fall on a sodding Monday).

1. There is going to be very little time between GCSE results coming out and A-levels starting. Not much time to digest results and make an informed choice about what to study in 6th form.

1. The Autumn term is already long - especially for children just starting out at school. You’re proposal will add an extra 1.5 to 2 weeks to this term.

1. August-born children will end up starting reception before their 4th birthday. Or do you propose to change the birthday cut-off to match the earlier start date? (If so - which date in August will you pick? August 1st?)

Other countries seem to manage a long Summer holiday just fine.

Republic of Ireland has Secondary finish beginning of June, back first week September or last week August.

The primary schools close near to 1st July and are back same time as the secondaries.

They also have half terms (or mid term breaks as they call them) and Easter and Christmas hols too.

The education in Ireland is top notch also. The envy of many other countries, so it is just not all down to presenteeism really.

The teacher pay is great too. It is valued highly.

The Secondaries finish before exam time for those sitting those.

Summer childcare is already a huge financial strain for lots of parents and please also read the reports about children not getting enough food during the holidays as the free school meals are missing.

3 months is a huge proportion of the year, I do not think that it is helpful for children to have 1/4of the year off with no schooling. Countries like the USA who have 3 months holidays often have to shop children to relatives or camps as they have no annual leave. Children also go to Summer school to either catch up or not forget.

DD just turned 11, leaving Primary now and this means most holiday clubs are over for her. I wouldn’t want her to be alone home for weeks on end and we have zero relatives she can go to and there is only so much friend swapping you can do.

I would very much prefer a 4 week holiday and 2 weeks in autumn and 3 at Christmas. Most secondaries in our area now changed to 5 weeks Summer and have 2 weeks in October, enabling decent Autum holiday for those who want a later one and report a better start to the new school year than waiting into September.

I agree that I tend to associate August with less than good summer weather. Last year, summer was really rubbish for anyone at school: three hot weeks in June (middle of exams), then July and August were barely even warm, let alone sunny.

Seeing the armies of shorts and summer dresses going past my house, and groups of children in hi-vis having a picnic in the park, this last week I caught myself thinking "what, are the children STILL at school?".

Please no. My dc's are climbing the walls by the end of the holidays.
If it was up to me they'd only have the 4 weeks in August off. (Sorry teachers ).

August is usually rubbish. The best weather seems to be June/July these days.

But considering that Easter and Christmas holiday have to happen, how do you spilt the terms? The winter term is so long already

I wouldn't really want extra holidays added to October half term or Christmas as the weather is rubbish and its dark early. I like the 6 weeks in summer when we can get out and do things instead of the kids being shut in and driving each other mad.

MissWimpy - not all countries do terms. I come from Germany where we have Semesters, Start of school year to Christmas and then from Christmas to Summer holidays. Two weeks Easter or Spring holidays, maybe a short week in May and then again 2 weeks in October.

Works very well. Summer holidays vary each year apart from 2 states, it can be anything from mid-June to end-August to beginning of August to mid September. It roates each year so that not all of Germany is off at the same time.

I struggle to spend time with DD over Christmas as I have to work, it's hard to get time off in my job so I always like when they break early. Otherwise I only have the actual Christmas days if I am unlucky. Having a second week in October would mean we can go away and catch some sun as I hate the heat and a Summer holiday in southern Europe is out most years.

I agree although it would annoy people in Scotland as they get to have cheaper holidays before they start in the rest of the UK (although I assume that is only if they leave from non-Scottish airports as the tour operators will know exactly when the holidays are in Scotland).

I'd like a 2 week half term in May, too, as the weather is usually better in May than in August. They have it in parts of Cheshire, so they can obviously make it work with exams.

running even the U.K. holidays are cheaper for us in the first 2 weeks of Scottish holidays, We usually do a haven first week of July and it’s at least £2-300 cheaper

Come to Scotland then. July is the holiday month here, most schools break up around 27th June and go back around 17th August.

I certainly wouldn't want 4 weeks off at Christmas when it's dark and cold. Yuk.

English school holidays always seem ridiculously late, especially when the weather's been lovely since practically Easter.

Runningkeenstar. Do the 'Cheshire' schools give two weeks off at May so the parents/families can have an early summer excursion to their 'villas' !

Perhaps with May being the end of the football season makes two weeks holiday preferable in Cheshire...

Tempting though it sounds, it would be hardest on the most vulnerable children and that can’t be right.
Poorer children tend to have worse academic outcomes and drop attainment when there is a prolonged absence. Longer summer holidays would exacerbate the polarisation of achievement.
Poorer children are more likely to go hungry/have very poor diet without free school meals.
Poorer children don’t have access to same enrichment activities and experiences outside of school. A trip to Annecy with some alpine activities, watersports, a little language and culture followed by outdoor pursuits camp in the Dordogne and a week with grandma on her boat on the Broads is fantastic for those lucky children. Kicking tin cans around the dried up, dog end covered patch of mud that is the communal space between blocks of flats might be less beneficial and more likely to build gang culture.

Not just Cheshire several of the Greater Manchester councils do two week May half term certainly for primary school anyway

Yanbu!
21st of JUNE is mid Summer! Its light til half ten!
Mid August the leaves are starting to turn ffs.

Essexgirl. I presume you mean councils such as Tameside, Bolton etc which is something to do with 'Wakes' . This being a Northern town tradition where the whole town went away at the same time. I think this tradition goes back to 'Stevenson's Rocket' day trips....