To think the school holidays should just be August ?

[yellowbeard]

It's too long. I think a break in routine does kids good, but it's too much all at once. I think in Italy August is considered Holiday month ( not sure about the school holiday length ) but I know a lot of businesses close down for August there. Aibu ?

Enjoy every minute you get to have your child with you, school is so overrated imo. I work in a school and often find it actually quite damaging for the kids to be run into the ground with long terms and increasing pressure to succeed in areas that are actually of no interest or relevance to that child's life. I use the holidays, especially the holidays to re-establish what my kids actually want to do with their life

I work in a school and often find it actually quite damaging for the kids to be run into the ground with long terms and increasing pressure to succeed in areas that are actually of no interest or relevance to that child's life. I use the holidays, especially the holidays to re-establish what my kids actually want to do with their life
Spot on.

sleepy, I wasn't referring to parents who are at work and juggling childcare- I was referring to parents who complain their children are bored and those who say their child was ready to back to school after a couple of weeks off!

It says that the U.K, the Netherlands and Germany are the three countries with the shortest school holidays in all of Europe.
I always wonder why people don't question things.

"Why don't we have the same length summer holidays as most of the rest of Europe" is a very valid question. People just blindly follow what the government tell them to do. You have power, use your voice.

I was born in the U.K but spent my school years in a different country. I had three months off school every summer. Six weeks is shocking to me, and again, it is not on par with most other countries

Fresta, we went out this morning and lasted 10 minutes before ds started shouting and punching walls because it was windy and a dog was barking. The holidays are too long when there is nothing for your child to do.

I am actually against school altogether.
Children were not always in schools.
Just because the Government have told us for the past while that we must put our children into schools, does not mean that it is the only way of doing things.
It is not in children's best interest to go to school and to work hard at a young age. They get damaged at school. It is a stupid system - and is one that has been set up to control the masses. I would home school ny child.
I would say to everyone on here : the way that the government tells you to do things, is not the only way to do things. They are human beings the same as you. And many of them have become corrupt with power and wanting to control people. You know what is best for you and your child

Scottish schools for my DC. Finish end of June back 14 August.

I'd rather they were off for all of July and all of August but realise many children need the schools for routine, food, support.

So we're probably just about right.

Don't want the other areas of the UK to swap to same as us...you'll scunner our cheaper holidays!

YABU, it feels too short. Can't believe there's only one week left.

I would possibly be ok with 5 weeks of we got an extra week at Christmas.

August tends to be rainy and cold. Why would you have kids cooking in school in the one month a year where it's actually nice and hot? It's bad enough they miss more than half of it.

It seems to all come down AGAIN to people seeing school as childcare.

Sleepy does your DS have special needs?

No way. Its just long enough yo eind down and cstch ip wity relatives. Its hard enough getting leave in the holidays as is. If they were just august prices woukd go up even more and lots of people would miss out on any holiday with their children.

If the summer holidays were to be reduced to 4 weeks, this would mean the summer term and the autumn term would each be extended by 5 teaching days.

Where would the funding for these additional 10 days for every teacher in every school in the country come from?

I think school holidays should be longer.

I also think their should be government funded childcare during the holidays.

Pushing children into doing academics longer just because parents need childcare is not considering the needs of the child at all. But obviously children do need their parents to be able to work and put a roof over their heads, so provision for children to relax/play/be children and be cared for out of school needs to be found.

I totally agree with summer hols being moved forward for the weather, June & July are always much nicer than August weather wise.
I love the 6 weeks hols, but if we had to lose one week I would ideally want it on May half term as I usually spend most of that holiday writing reports, & dont see much of my own child. (Although I realise an extra week in May would not work if the summer holidays moved forward.)

I totally agree with summer hols being moved forward for the weather, June & July are always much nicer than August weather wise
As someone has one of the hottest classrooms in the school, I wholeheartedly agree with this. The last few weeks are so uncomfortable and stuffy.

I think they should be off all July and August. It's nice to have a break. Children are in school too much as it is imo.

I also think the holiday isn't long enough. Soany countries have two clear months off. There are lots of camps for kids to go to, either day or residential, to help parents who need child care. These give the children chance to do a range of different activities. I absolutely love being off with my two for 6 weeks but I do recognise it isn't so easy for everyone.

In Ireland where we have a lot of family it is June to September. We are in UK and we homeschool so I love when the school holidays end so all the fun places to take kids are less crowded again!! I do think the holidays in the UK are about right - most of my friends who send their kids to school agree.

Sleepy, I see reading back your child does have special needs. Of course I sympathise with your situation, it must be difficult. However, yours is a special case and a child with special needs is going to require special consideration during the holidays too- I hope you can get some help sorted for next time.

For the majority though, I still think there is absolutely no way most children should find six weeks away from school too long.

Mine have five weeks off this year (they had two weeks at May half term) Five weeks feels just about right. When we lived in the US they had 13 weeks which was way too long. The children were as desperate for school to restart as I was!

All of the working mums, did you not realise BEFORE you chose to have children that you would have to sort out arrangements for holidays?

For all the moaning you knew this would happen and now you moan because school won’t look after your children all the time? If you can’t afford to have children then don’t.

I don't see the point in complaining about the length of the summer holidays, it's probably not going to change so why not just enjoy it as much as you can?

I don't have a child in school yet but I already know we're going to struggle finding care for DD for 6 weeks in one go.. 4 weeks would be a lot more manageable - 2 weeks off with us on holiday and then it's only 2 more weeks to arrange clubs etc. For.

YABVU. Holidays are way too short. People like you moaning is the reason why people get fined for term time holidays. have your cake and eat it

9 weeks here in Northern Ireland. That is long. In saying that the time has flew in and the kids aren't ready to go back yet.