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.

Oh I forgot to add

Drama camps
Gymnastics camps.

There’s probably more to be honest

@youngandfree do you have to pay for these or are they free/subsidised?

I live in the north west in a smallish town. we have football camp (various providers), Multisports camp or just holiday camp where the children are taken care off but without any 'special' profile. if you aren't sporty, there is nothing for your child.

Its not just reading and maths. Children go to music camps where they learn an instrument which boosts their maths incidentally, or a drama camp which brings all that english to life, or they get all the 'cultural capital' by going to museums and castles that are an expensive train fair away.

I'm not sure what the point is here.

I can't afford the music and drama clubs on in summer around here – they do a week drama one and three days music ones -and never went to any as a child.

I can’t afford the few groups that run during term time and getting to them is hard – they don’t run such things at the kids schools. Talking to other parents some of the school in better demographics have loads of such clubs.

As a child I got some free lessons instrument lessons at school - I have had to pay for the ones my children had - some free school meal child get them free but many more just above those levels just can't do them.

We do museum and castle visits - throughout the year - school doesn’t do many trips – more school could mean less for my kids. There are several in walking distance and free entry - that's just a lucky thing of where we live.

In fact many children round her don’t learn to swim – school does 3 weeks’ worth which isn’t enough to do anything and we pay an amount for anyway mainly for coach – and council run lessons work out too expensive for many local kids.

Or is that the point because many children -don't get to do these things no child should?

music camps??? really? where do people live?

My dc go on residential music camps every year.

My dh and I both work full-time, and we have & 8 weeks of holiday to cover as the kids are at private school, so residential camps are a godsend.

Generally, out of the 8 weeks, we’ll go on a family holiday for 2 weeks, they’ll spend 2 weeks on residential orchestra camps, 2 weeks on drama day camps and then 2 weeks with grandparents.

One thing that is negatively hitting playscheme budgets is that some councils now have a policy whereby they split their playscheme budget equally between all playschemes who apply.

Previously our LA had a policy whereby non-profit making groups got a bit more (most of the time it covered the hiring of the school hall, or the insurance). However now, because of their own budget cuts, they split it equally. So volunteer led groups in areas that badly need it get exactly the same share as a business who charge £40+ per day.

I think the summer holidays were brought in so the farming communities could have help harvesting the crops or somesuch. Been a while since kids all did that! It would be better if the holidays were split up a bit for sure. Everyone needs a rest but a long one and they’ve forgotten half of what they had learned! Plus parents on lower incomes are skint. And knackered from looking after the kids.

For those advocating 2 weeks off in Oct, I really wouldn't.. If you stay at home, the weather is awful

But it's not. If we switched to early October the weather is usually lovely (it probably won't be this year and make a liar of me, but early October is often glorious). The only real issue is the fact it gets dark so quickly, but make sure half term is before the clocks go back and it's better. Take July off instead of August and early October would be a good time to have time off.

Kids need holiday. If there isn't enough food in the summer then benefits need to increase. Get the money from the corporations not paying tax (like BP, Ocado, and AstraZenaca www.google.com/amp/s/www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-6522913/amp/Almost-1-5-biggest-firms-paid-year-5-got-handout-taxman.html )

there is no point going to a music camp if then parents cannot afford to pay for tution for the rest of the year. It's only something for the better off, not for those who genuinely struggle to get by. Not even sure if my child would be able to attend an 'orchestra camp' when it has had zero music tution. I bet the access is already limited to those who already have been able to pay for their child ...

I actually think people expect too much.
What happened to doing things with your children.
Spending time with them. Doing inexpensive things with them.
Teaching them how to entertain themselves.
Playing games with them.
Teaching them how to skip, throw and catch a ball, fly a kite, knit, crochet, sew, paint, climb a tree, go out walking and look for wildlife, flora and fauna, build a den, play hide and seek, garden etc etc.
The list is endless.
Go On a bike ride, walk, picnic, go to the library,swim.
As for not seeing their friends in the holidays- why not? Why don't you invite their friends over? Is it too much hard work?
When mine were little they played in our cul dd2 sac with neighbours children.
It taught them how to get along, deal with falling out, cope with so many social issues.
I used to make a tray of sandwiches, a jug of juice, and maybe bake rice crispy cakes, and put them on the table in the back garden for all the kids to enjoy.
The kids would come into my back garden and fill up water bombs to throw at each other, my reaction? I ran upstairs and grabbed a water gun, filled it up and joined in the fun.
Those were great times.
One of the other parents took my dcs on a bike ride, another set up cricket matches.
I think a lot of that doesn't seem to happen with mners.
They don't put themselves out and then moan when there is nobody to entertain their kids.
Arrange meet ups on your day off, look after other people's kids, honestly it will be worth it.
Everyone just seems to moan about poor me and if you don't have friends over then don't moan when your kids aren't invited.
I had endless kids knocking on my door and yes it did get annoying but you know what, it was the best thing for my kids.
Isolate yourself and everyone will leave you alone

We are relatively skint, have 3 dc from 2 to 6. The weather has been crap mostly but we managed a very cheap 5 night caravan holiday and a few odd days at the seaside. The rest of the time has been made up of local bike rides, and free days out such as picnics in parks further away and visiting animal sanctuary and museums. The school age dc have needed the long break from school just to relax and do whatever. I don't think it should be shortened.

Actually if there is subsidised childcare for under 3s etc it isn’t that much of a leap to consider offering subsidised childcare during school holidays.

Im not sure why you concluded i would say no child should do them because some children cant afford to? There is a recognised summer slip that impacts poor children more than wealthier ones. I was suggesting the reason igoes beyond poor families not 'reading a bedtime story'
I dont want less children to do these things. Thats the exact opposite of what i believe. I think inequality is growing and supporting poorer children during the 6vweek summer break is an investment wory making. There are lots of options. Improving the quality, availability and affordability of chikdcare is one. Extending pupil premium to cover more holiday stuff is another.

Bingo emily

Plus kids aren’t goldfish. They don’t forget what they’ve been taught in a 6 week holiday.

As to re-configuration of teacher contracts, don’t forget all the support staff. Also essential maintenance of the schools take place in the summer break.

I think you have this arse backwards.

What we should be asking for is more paid leave, banning zero hours contracts and higher minimum wage.

Taking your child’s Summer holiday off them because of austerity problems is robbing Peter to pay Paul.

There needs to be a huge rethink in this country about childcare set ups and support for working families.

Cancelling holidays is just another part of the race to the bottom. I’m not convinced it will achieve anything helpful in the long term except encourage employers who offer bad conditions to offer even worse conditions.

Music camp is absolutely for pretty serious musicians. You don’t just randomly send your child for a week or two when they don’t play or aren’t musical

(and I understand the link to maths is pretty much debunked anyway)

What happened to doing things with your children.
Spending time with them.

have you read the thread? lots of parents are stuck in low payed work with little annual leave having to shelf out £££ for childcare leaving them destitute esp when paying out childcare for many many weeks.

how do you spend time with the DC when you are in work. Do you not have to earn a living, Emily?

Actually if there is subsidised childcare for under 3s etc it isn’t that much of a leap to consider offering subsidised childcare during school holidays.

People working in term time nurseries are usually (not exclusively) women with children at school. They often choose these jobs as they fit in with the school holidays. Who would staff the subsidised summer holiday childcare?

there is no point going to a music camp if then parents cannot afford to pay for tution for the rest of the year.

Apparently before we moved here lessons weren't so expensive, you could borrow instruments for minimum fee and they ran free orchestras and music camps.

I suspect there was probably still a strong slant to better of parents, but it slowly went just as area we did live in was losing children centres and services.

I think the schools try to mitigate it – the primary bought in some services for all the kids– singing drumming beat boxing – so they got exposure to music making but as prices go up for instrument lessons in school fewer do them and prices go up.

There are many public buildings that stay open all year round and still need maintenance @TSSDNCOP

@BelleSausage- excellent post. I think you are right. On reading your post you’ve made me realise that cutting holidays is actually a race to the bottom and it actually doesn’t need to be like that. Our holidays are seven weeks though which is a bit too long but if we all had better annual leave entitlement, ts and cs it would work

Kids need holiday. If there isn't enough food in the summer then benefits need to increase. Get the money from the corporations not paying tax

If companies aren’t paying due tax then of course they should be chased and presumably they are. Legitimate tax savings schemes are different and of course will be taken advantage of, no different to self employed people legally minimising their tax bill.

They shouldn’t be chased though because parents aren’t feeding their children. Feeding a child is a parenting basic, if it’s not being met then SS are needed not tax chasing.

emilybrontescorsett some children can't do those things.