To think the summer holidays should only be four weeks long.

[MyBrexitUnicornDied]

I’ll probably get flamed for this but I really think 6 weeks is too long for kids to be off school.

The kids (and teachers) still need to keep the same number of weeks off as holiday but summer really drags. My kids end up bored and miss their friends. I think there’s an issue with some kids losing skills over such a long break too.

It makes more sense to me to have

2 weeks half term in October
2 weeks Christmas
1 week half term February
2 weeks for Easter
2 weeks half term May / June
4 weeks summer break.

Anyone else of a similar opinion? Or am I going to get flamed?

No way! I love my kids being off. I could definitely do another few weeks. I only work 2 days a week and am lucky enough to have family look after the children so I don't have child care stress.
I love how laid back everything is, we can decide to pop out at lunchtime and not end up coming home until after dinner..
My kids see lots of their friends as I plan lots of days out or park meet ups with their friends.
I do appreciate that I'm lucky enough to have a car and can afford to put fuel in it and we have a bit of money for picnics and ice creams etc. I can imagine 6 weeks would be hard work if you were stuck in the house with no spare money.
Most of what we've done has been free apart from parking charges and ice creams. We always take a packed lunch.

I think the long holidays are important for children.
That's when they can shake off school and learn new skills: like riding a bike, tying a bow etc check in with local friends/cousins etc - it's always good to have friends outside of school, a break from the intensity of fallouts and bullying at school.
And the heatwave we had down here in the south coast through the first couple of weeks of it would have been impossible for schools.

I admit my kids are lucky we live near nice parks and the sea and I only work part time - but this is when they've honed their hobbies at photography, sketching, swimming, fishing. And the freedom has been so good for them. I'd hate for them to have that taken away. They do well at school, I'm not sure they'd put the effort in without knowing that at least there's the summer off.

It's always the sahms and teachers who trill on about how marvellous the long holidays are

I’m neither.

I'm a nurse so not a SAHM or a teacher.

Long summer holidays would work so much better, winter holidays suck, it;s dark, wet and cold. I'd pprefer the kids off when they can see past the end of the driveway and play outside and not be in by 4pm as it's dark. 8 weeks of in summer, each parent gets 5 or 6 weeks off a year, between them they can cover it, and use clubs like many do and still have a bit left for time off in winter.

No . I would hate it to change.

As a child, the summer holidays were a huge 'look forward' full of plans and adventures. It is (and has been ) for all of mine. We have just had 15 June -4 th September. (Youngest just finished GCSE and others at Uni) but back off to Uni houses and back to school on Tuesday 😔.. I have worked full time since eldest was 6 months old and have always loved the holidays without all the frantic morning rush and constant 'having to be somewhere'. Absolutely love it. Kids love it. Teachers and kids need it.

Changing it would be all is about parents 'wants' and nothing about Children and teachers needs.

I find it hard when schools in the same borough have competely different holidays across the school year.

Dd in primary and ds in secondary in the same borough. Ds broke up on 18th July, dd 25th July. He's had just short of 7 weeks off, she has had just short of 6 weeks off.

This was new this year. We normally only get a week at easter but two in May but this year we got 2 easter and 2 May so the week was taken off the usual 6/7 weeks summer break which has been good.

My son would like his holidays to be when all the local children are in school.

6 weeks summer holidays is probably about right. If it were shorter some parents might not get the chance to take a week or two off work to take their kids on holiday or just otherwise spend part of the summer with their kids. Also for poorer parents there’s better weather in the summer which saves on heating bills and more free activities like the park.

I wish it was longer-8 weeks would be just right. My kids agree!

But you'd also have 2 weeks to go away in May and October and the weather can be quite decent in the UK at those times, certainly no worse than August

The weather is nearly always worse in October than August. It’s colder and the days are shorter. I’d rather we broke up at the end of June.

We have had 12 weeks, one more to go. Count yourselves - adults and children alike - lucky.

Whoever said Xmas once every 4 years: YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES

Totally agree but I'm a single mum with MH problems, haven't had one minute away from children in nearly 7 weeks and I just want to stand in the garden and scream into the sky. I am DESPERATE for some time on my own. I know it sounds awful, I knew this when I had them yadda yadda but I never expected for it to just be me with no support. I cannot mentally take more than a month with no let up whatsoever. I can't go to baby groups because of the teenager. I can't go to the older kids things because of the toddler.
It's hell. I love them dearly, but good god please give me a break. Plus it's cost an absolute fortune in stuff to do.

In Ireland public schools have two months off at summer and private schools 3 at summer!

Titty what a brilliant brilliant idea.

Agree we can often get better weather in June and early July, apart from this year the school holidays tend to be a washout which is a shame. So would prefer them to break up earlier.

I am a teacher so I have loved being at home with my children.

But I do also get to see a different side and that for some children to be away from the school environment is very (and I say this carefully) dangerous. We provide a lot more than simply education but we look out for, we feed, we care for and we listen to some very vulnerable young people.

For them in particular I think its too long.

For me personally it could be longer and I would love it.

I disagree. I think summer holiday should be all summer - 3 months, and the kids should be able to be alone without adults and not injure themselves/set house on fire. That's how my country of birth still is. No one died.
I'd fucking hate British short school holidays if I were a kid here.

Two weeks in October would break up the long term. 2 weeks in May would be fab for holidays. No more time at Xmas though - they are long and cold enough.

Big no to the idea of a longer Christmas break - we ended up with almost 3 weeks last year with the way the inset days fell, and it was miserable. 2 weeks at Christmas is plenty.

Not averse to the idea of 2 weeks at the end of May though, that would be great.

I think two weeks in October would be good. That term always feels so long - kids are on their knees by the end of it. And there are lots of places where the weather is still ok around mid October time - southern Spain, the Canaries etc. What I would really like though is for Easter to be on a set day every year - all the pissing around drives me nuts.

I think the date that Easter falls on would be even harder to change than the dates of the school holidays

We could have one week extra in October by losing a week in summer and one week extra in May by harmonising the fucking inset days, which are the bane of my fucking life.

But Easter is so annoying! Does anyone even know or care why it moves any more?! "The eighth Sunday after Michelmas count three days roll your trousers light a candle do the roly poly count four weeks miss a go hop five nights backwards with a hat on" etc. Fuck off.

I agree entirely, I would like July off if you are asking for votes? August weather is never quite as good.

I think 3 weeks at Christmas and 2 weeks for the May half term would be better. Or, I'd rather state schools followed private school examples and had 10 weeks off over summer and 3 weeks off at Christmas. The more time at home with my children the better.

Actually, while we’re on with it can we fix the date of Easter?