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.

Yes MN is largely mc, so the current system works - MN isnt everyone!

@Teaandcrisps

You are confused. You aren’t paying £1 into a system that’s not working. You are paying taxes to the government at a set rate that then pays for the services provided by the government. None of these government services are childcare for your school aged child. You aren’t already paying the government for childcare.

What you need to do is campaign for state funded Summer childcare for working parents. But you might expect to have to pay more in tax to fund it. So you pay that £2 either way!

Yes MN is largely mc, so the current system works - MN isnt everyone!

And neither are you, so why completely ignore anyone with a different opinion to you?

And the other point is that school is for the benefit of the child NOT the parent. Schools advocate for the child. Always.

There is no benefit to children to lock them up in school all Summer long. You are asking us to jeopardise the emotional welfare of poor children to make up for shit employers.

Six weeks holidays have been here for decades and anyone who has had a baby in the last 40 odd years or more is aware of them. I appreciate times have changed but it does not have to cost much money. My kids have lived on beans/cheese/scrambled eggs on toast for their lunches. Cheap and cheerful!

They don't need to have three course meals every day.
However, I do blame social media which makes us think we are letting our kids down.
We are.fortunate to have had holidays but some people are eating out/days out/holidays/cinema etc. We do a holiday and that's it.

Kids need the time to unwind as life is more stressful for them too these days so let them have a rest!!

But the people who find the summer holidays difficult aren't everyone either and the majority of school age children and the majority of school staff, benefit from the holidays. Why would you want to take away something that is good for most of the people involved in it? There are other solutions to the problem.

“There is no benefit to children to lock them up in school all Summer long”

The point is there is a benefit for some children

@Passthecherrycoke

No, there isn’t. They would be fed but you would be essentially institutionalising them.

And there would be a rich/poor divide. You would only end up robbing poorer children of their childhood and their undirected playtime. Again, there are increasing links between lack of playtime and mental health issues in children.

The point is there is a benefit for some children

I might agree that ensuring they have a hot meal is important (and schools aren’t needed for that) but making them go to school all summer when richer kids don’t have to, will have untold negative impacts on their self esteem, mental health, social interactions and countless other things.

But there is plenty of evidence that some children are better off at school during the day than at home. They aren’t having playtime (I didn’t mention anything about food tbf, I don’t know about that)

I grew up in a very impoverished household but some of my happiest memories are of the long summer holidays. The freedom, the excitement, the endless playing on the long days. I don't think it's beneficial to children to change it.

DS2's school has organised some day trips this summer. They are £5 per person and payable from about May, giving time to save if necessary. You can also pay in tiny instalments to make it possible. They also do picnic in the park, craft sessions etc. On average there is something once a week. No idea what the arrangements are re pay but the school's pastoral care team are there. The local "chav", "poor", whatever other label the middle classes like to pin on them parents have made good use of these. I think that in a majority of cases people do care and want the best for their children, it's just that low income, zero hours jobs, universal credit and unforeseen events such as illness, separation and bereavement get in the way. It's so easy to criticise when you have a good career, savings, insurances, assets to sell etc.

And so everyone ignores the real issues around holiday hunger, and we're back to the mc narrative of ginger beer and magical.summers growing veg in the garden

What about the food banks. Do the people being discussed not have access?

Good banks are just for one offs, you can’t use them regularly for 6 weeks

A subsidised Summer play scheme not at school for them. And contraceptive advice. Not spoiling the 6 week break for everyone else

And so everyone ignores the real issues around holiday hunger, and we're back to the mc narrative of ginger beer and magical.summers growing veg in the garden

The real issue of holiday hunger is not solved by changing the entire education system.

It's solved by proper funding of the schemes that have been mentioned throughout the thread, that you keep ignoring, of giving children access to school dinners during the holidays.

And so everyone ignores the real issues

It just sounds like you want your childcare funded.

Again, there are increasing links between lack of playtime and mental health issues in children.

This cannot, and should not, be ignored.

Children have much less playtime than they used to have. Removing school holidays would remove even more of that.

The answer is safe, affordable holiday activities. Not an increase in school time.

You can't have schools open 52 weeks a year so holiday hunger and issues are going to be an issue if the holidays are 4 weeks, 14 weeks or 24 weeks.

Co-ordinated efforts to give children and families safe and affordable access to lunches and activities during the holidays - regardless of how long said holidays are - are important.

This is a childcare issue, not an education issue.

I think it's a cost of living issue - work needs to pay more, and a living wage should be the minimum standard.

And I say that as someone who as a child (before my grandparents intervention) who would have been much safer at school than at home.

The fact that my parents were abusive and neglectful didn't mean that my classmates should have been in school more.

The fact that some families are struggling now doesn't mean that all children should be in school more.

Again, there are increasing links between lack of playtime and mental health issues in children

You can keep the same number of holiday weeks, just space them out a bit. The long summer leads to poorer academic outcomes for disadvantaged children, and is harder for financially stretched parents to juggle, as it's such a big cost in one go and it's harder to ask for babysitting favours from friends and family for 6 weeks running.

Also the focus here is all on children needing childcare, but I think there is also a significant risk for under-supervised teenagers of parents who can't afford the time off - always an uptick in petty crime and the like.

It's funny how every single year starting mid summer holidays until the end you get all these threads from parents saying the summer holidays need to go. One might wonder why.

@fedup21 no I'm just about at the other end of the need for.childcare. I.care very deeply about equality of opportunity for.children and this is so.simple to solve I feel

We used to run summer school for two weeks for our PP pupils prior to Year 7. We had an amazing time and when the pupils came up to us in high school they were much more confident. We invited PP pupils in Year 9/10 to come and support.
The current government cut funds for this and it became for pupils whose parents could afford.

As a teacher I need my six weeks but was happy to give up a few days for this sort of scheme - but not when it became for those that could afford. I loved taking PP kids to places that they had not been before, to do activities and generally just mess around - football for an hour at lunchtime, painting, talking, chilling - all things that they missed out on. We got local restaurants to donate lunches - and kids tasted food they were unlikely to at home.
This is what we need to do - use it as an opportunity to enhance pupils' lives - when their parents are unable too.