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?

@TittyGolightly Where do we sign?! I've been saying this should happen for years, then we could actually get a bit excited and enjoy Christmas instead of dread it for a quarter of the fucking year.

I love the six weeks off tbh.
My dds look healthy and happy.
We've done loads of exercise, been on a few holidays, had loads of sleep and lie ins, they've had their friends over to play and sleepovers often.
It's a proper chance to chill out.

Noooooo
I love the summer holidays and could do with another fortnight tbh!

It seems that people resent spending time with their children

I would much rather spend all 6 weeks with my kids. But I have these annoying things called bills that needs to be paid.

I’m not suggesting less holidays - just spreading them out a bit more makes things more manageable.
Plus it has the benefit of kids not loosing any of their previous learning over a long summer.

Isn't whether they lose their learning your choice though? If you think they lose their learning then do some with them.

at Beelin

I work in a school (not a teacher) and agree with you, OP. Autumn term is rubbish for kids and teachers both - summer is over, the days are getting darker, the weather is shit and it's way too long. An extra week off in October would make it so much more bearable IMO. Even having five weeks off in summer, two in October and keeping the rest of the timetable as is would be a massive improvement.

What I meant to ask was, why would they need to be the same?

DS has a different Autumn half term break to me this year. Fortunately he is old enough to be at home on his own. We usually go away for the half term but won’t be able to because of his school choosing to have a different holiday. They say it’s to enable families to have a cheaper holiday but I priced up our usual type of holiday and it is actually the same price as the companies have all caught on that some schools are doing this.

We’ve all loved our six weeks although DD has done some work on her dissertation, DS has been doing some homework and I’ve spent some time every couple of days checking school emails and dealing with a few essential bits (school administrator).

just spreading them out a bit more makes things more manageable.

Why does it make them more manageable? Just because your eldest doesn't like holiday clubs? That doesn't mean it will make them more manageable for everyone else.

Isn't whether they lose their learning your choice though? If you think they lose their learning then do some with them

What about kids from disadvantaged backgrounds?

We've had a good and busy Summer Holiday this year, but I'd agree with the OP. I'd prefer 2 weeks in Oct and 2 in May, with 4 in the summer.

DD goes into Yr9 this week and has been stressing about 'everything she's forgotten' for the last week or so. 6 weeks really does seem too long to be away from learning.

I'm a teacher and I suggested shortening the summer holiday when we became an academy. I feel so long off school is really detrimental for some kids and on a selfish note I get really stir crazy 😂 Some colleagues felt similarly however it never happened.

The obvious answer would be for kids to attend school for 48 weeks a year, like the rest who work. That would mean they could take their GCSEs at 14 and be off out earning and paying taxes for 52 years. Plenty of time after that for playing and climbing trees etc.

Why does it make them more manageable? Just because your eldest doesn't like holiday clubs?

I’m not going to lie it would make life easy for me. But I also think 6 weeks is too king a break - losing skills, getting bored. I would just prefer longer holidays at half terms and wondered if others felt the same.

In Edinburgh we don't get a May half term. I needed my 6 weeks in the summer and it went so fast.

I'd love 2 weeks in October but dh can only get a week off then 😭.

But a long weekend in November would be welcome.

I wouid prune one week off the summer, to have 2 weeks for autumn half term (because that's such a long term, with no Bank hols)

But not more than that, unless you also fancy changing the entire GCSE, sixth form admission, A level etc timetables. Unless you course you fancy your DC going through with less time for proper checks on marking.

An it would alter when the peak weeks occur - but there would be the same number of school weeks in a year, so don't see why prices would go up more. There would simply be different weeks when full price is charged, with off-peak discounts for the rest.

The obvious answer would be for kids to attend school for 48 weeks a year

It’s more like 46 1/2. We get bank holidays too.

You might be onto something though. I think kids and teachers need to stick to 39 weeks. But a culture change to longer holidays would be fabulous. Maybe 35 days off should be the norm not 25.

You would hate it where I live. My kids get no half terms, 4 days at Easter (6 including the weekend), 2 weeks at Christmas and 12 weeks over the summer!

I work full-time and am a single parent so I suppose i’m the demographic who should want shorter holidays but actually this summer has flown by and I could do with a couple more weeks of it. I have loved this summer.

You would hate it where I live. My kids get no half terms, 4 days at Easter (6 including the weekend), 2 weeks at Christmas and 12 weeks over the summer

That’s horrific. Is everyone not knackered all the time except summer?

I work full-time and am a single parent so I suppose i’m the demographic who should want shorter holidays but actually this summer has flown by and I could do with a couple more weeks of it. I have loved this summer

Yeah but come October you’ll be wishing the one week holiday was a two weeker

This summer hols has flown by and there is still loads we’d like to do. I love the long holiday and my kids don’t want to go back yet.

Our LEA is going to 5 weeks and a 2 week October half term now. In a way it's good because mine are in the "positively feral after 6 weeks off" group of kids and they're desperate to get back now... but it's a bloody pain when you live on the border of LEAs and work in education to match up when you've got all these variations in term dates all over the shop (I can plausibly be working in 4 different LEAs within a half hour drive where we live).

No, I like the 6 weeks, if anything I think it should be made longer and the winter ones cut down instead.

I love the long summer holidays. Mine have been off for 8 weeks. Still have 2 weeks at October (in shit miserable weather no doubt)