AIBU to say that summer hols are a driver of inequality

[Teaandcrisps]

Myself and OH have had mixed personal fortune over the last 10 years - so from personal experience know the difference.

Summer holidays with no money is shit - especially when the weather is crap. If you can afford it however, it's great fun.

It's not just the obvious things - summer hols, trips, activities, camps, increase in food costs; it's also if you have the kind of job that can give you time off.

Given that food bank have launched the holiday hunger campaign, AIBU to say that summer holidays is an unequal construct and the 6-weeks off needs to go.

I think the 6 week holiday needs to be shorter. The two weeks could be moved to extra time off at October and May half term holidays.

I think pupils from deprived backgrounds lose mire skills over summer than their affluent peers.

YABU
I think it's a valid point you raise, although misplaced. It's not the summer holidays that are a driver of inequality, but rather the cost of living now and change in attitudes toward safety and play (no more 'playing out' with mates!). I think social media doesn't help with the expectation that children having to be doing some sort of trip out ever day of the summer either.

But school isn't a play camp, or a child minding venue, it's a place for children to be educated and learning is exhausting. You wouldn't expect as an adult to never have a break from work, so same applies to children. Likewise, it's valuable bonding time for children with their families (learning starts at home!) whether that be on a 8k trip to Spain or a walk to the park...
I would be really upset to loose this time with DC.

My childrens school is changing to 5 weeks in Summer and 2 weeks in October, I like the above idea of moving a week to May as well.
My kids have spent all summer except one week in childcare. That week was spent at nannas so they had a week off when I couldn't.its not really a break for them so yanbu.

I kind of agree, they are impractical. We save in advance, but as soon as they are over I need to start saving for Christmas. I’ve been selling stuff on eBay to slightly offset the cost. Also with a teen too young to get a job it has been expensive this year. (And yes, we’ve done plenty of cheap/free activities- it’s just a long stretch of time to fill).
We’d have been out helping with the harvest in the old days!

YABU other countries have a much longer summer break. Children can learn other skills during the summer.

Surely we should be tackling the causes of inequality?

I would be really upset to loose this time with DC.

Not everyone has that time with dc though. That's the point of the post.

YANBU. Our working world is so different from the school one yet people need two incomes to survive. Personally I would overthrow capitalism as the solution though

@BanginChoons that would be the same regardless of where in the year the holidays were positioned...

The long summer holiday is probably about the only thing left keeping me in teaching-the job is so dire and sadly so different from when I joined. If that goes, I will too and I imagine I won’t be alone.

Our summer holidays are one of the shortest as they are-I can’t imagine them being shortened and if they are, not by much.

They've been around for decades and you don't need to spend loads of money to have a good break. Try and save up it's the same time every year!

@Letseatgrandma Adding on to that, schools would be unable to afford to pay staff for this additional time in school.

I think the idea of having to do 'stuff' all summer long is part of the problem. When I was at school I spent the whole summer holidays at home pottering about or going to a friend's house. And yes, sometimes I got bored, but it's good for kids to be bored sometimes, to learn that life isn't about someone else constantly providing stimulation.

The bigger problem is obviously childcare where both parents are working.

I like the idea of 5 weeks summer and 2 in October.
Our school has announced that next year all 5 inset days will be in July and the week before the official summer holidays start. We will therefore now have a 7 week summer holiday to fill.
There will be no holiday clubs running then and that isn't when we want to go away. In fact we couldn't go away as our eldest is at another school so won't be on holiday then.

As a teacher and parent I object to this. I do agree that the six week (usually slightly under this in most areas now, unless schools stack up their INSETs at the end of term) makes in equality more visible but it's not a driver or cause of inequality and ending it will just cover it up more effectively but will change nothing fundamentally for children's life chances.

And two weeks off in May in the middle of the exams is an appalling idea and will most likely have a worse effect on disadvantaged children who are less likely to have support in revising at home. In fact, teachers would probably be pressured into going in to schools to run revision sessions and then those who need them most would be least likely to turn up.

Inequality needs to be dealt with and ending the six week holiday would be nothing more than a flimsy sticking plaster.

The point OP is making is that not everyone has the annual leave or time to take off over the summer holidays.

I think four weeks is plenty. I’d have found it much easier to juggle child care and costs when mine were little.

I think this is a particular problem in some area/ schools where there is. A lot of deprivation. If you have no money, live in a cramped accommodation, rely on free school meals and can’t send your children to the local park because they’re at risk of gang grooming, then your children really are better off in school, and I think local authorities in these areas really do need to think about this.

However it’s not everyone, and not every area. Not being able to take trips every day isn’t inequality, but I do think you make a good point

In Glasgow there are lunch clubs during the holidays in schools that families can go to for a free lunch and activities. Brilliant idea.

I am also a teacher and I would favour losing two weeks from summer and adding a week in october and feb or may.

I've just spent 6 weeks with my toddler on a limited budget and with lots of crap weather. It has felt like an age. Even before I had DS, I found that the long holiday gave too much opportunity for anxiety to build. The anticipation of the last week feels horrible.

So, is the OP saying that children should get less holiday overall, or that is should be divided up differently?

Be thankful it's only 6 weeks..I'm in Ireland and my 13 year old had 12 weeks off while primary schools had 8..very hard to fill that length.

A school near me tried two weeks in October and a shorter summer break - there was uproar from parents as it’s usually a lot worse weather-wise in October than July/August.They still had to take the same amount of leave, just staggered over different months. This was a primary school that acted as a feeder to one of the local high schools, who didn’t change their holidays so for parents with a child at each school it was a logistical nightmare. They didn’t do it again. Two weeks in May would probably be a better idea.

You are being incredibly unreasonable!!! Children need this time off - in most countries children have longer! Not everything and everyone in life can be completely bloody equal and I HATE how some people would rather everyone went without and suffered in an equal way?! Is that really better - a few people might not be able to have a fun filled summer hols so literally NOBODY should have the chance to spend some quality family time over the summer? Ugh. What a horrid and selfish suggestion.

Yes it is. There's a chapter about it in malcolm gladwell's 'outliers'.

I get you, OP.

I've been helping our local food bank this week and it was very clear that food poverty increases over the summer because children lose out on free school meals, which has increased activity and consumption at food banks.

YABU other countries have a much longer summer break. Children can learn other skills during the summer.

That's a bit like saying "let them eat cake"! I agree with the point upthread that children from low income families lose skills when out f school for so many weeks compared to more affluent families. That's because wealth enables families to throw money at the problem, with summer camps, enjoyable activities, exchange trips, courses etc, whereas families on low incomes struggle with the additional expense. If they can't even feed their children (hence increase in foodbank usage) how can they finance skill-building for children outside termtime, whilst having to work to make ends meet.

Adding on to that, schools would be unable to afford to pay staff for this additional time in school.

Yes, definitely.

It’s all bit of a moot point really as it will never happen due to funding.

You could move around the holidays and have 4 weeks in the summer and two weeks at June (terrible idea due to exams) and October (weather is often crap) but you will probably piss off an equal number of people who don’t want this, and it wouldn’t sop inequality. The prices of holidays during those 4 weeks would also be sky high.