A year round school system

[Orangeblossom78]

I have been thinking more about this recently with reports in the press about play schemes in deprived areas for children in the holidays, and also the pressure on families in general in holidays to scrabble together childcare for school age children.

Would it not be better if schools did 3 weeks on and one week off? All year round- maybe a two weeks break in the summer

This week off could be filled with activities at the school sun by the people who do after school / holiday clubs (we already have this on the PPA days where a holiday club provider does activities with KS2 / 1 alternate weeks so the teachers have time to plan)

This would mean-

Less pressure of 6 week terms (my DC seem to get pretty tired towards the end of each block)

The one week could be used flexibly, could stay home and consolidate learning or go into school to the activities

Possibly more sport / activity in the extra week

Benefits for deprived areas

Less of the 'losing learning over the long summer'

Easier to plan holidays - every fourth week off

Less pressure on teachers, who could be paid year round but less intense

Could be funded for all- maybe some part with UC / tax credits childcare element or childcare vouchers, perhaps

Any thoughts or is this just a bonkers idea?

It’s not preferable for me as a teacher. I really appreciate the long holiday.

So every family that wants to go away would be trying to book a trip within the same four weeks

No, because if every fourth week was off they could choose to holiday every fourth week? Or as they could take the holidays

No, I already feel sorry for children with only 6 weeks off and starting school so young, in my country of birth we got 3 and a half months...there was no "childcare" as such, your granny would come over and doze on the sofa while you played outside all day long. School started at age 7. Yet when I came to the UK I was further ahead in pretty much all subjects so more time in school doesn't equal more knowledge, necessarily.
Taking away the measly 6 weeks they get will contribute even more to depression/anxiety/stress, children are already very stressed, let them be kids.

No, I already feel sorry for children with only 6 weeks off

My children were climbing the walls by the sixth week... especially as the last week is pretty much in September and the weather isn't usually great.

I think children benefit from the long rest.

Selfishly, we'd miss out on seeing DHs family in Asia, and the DC wouldn't get to practise their 2nd language (My DBro and I would always spend 4 weeks over the summer in Italy, and still feel comfortable speaking Italian even though we've been here since we were 5 and 2).

I know we're lucky though, what's needed is better funding for high quality (and cheap/free for those who need them) holiday clubs for DC in the summer holidays.

Some children need that longer run of time in school. My son's one of them, it takes him 2-3 weeks to get back into the routine of school, we have a few good weeks, then a holiday messes it up again. He isn't the only one. More regular breaks mean more regular breaks in routine, which would mean that children who thrive and depend on that routine suffer for it.

Fuck that. Kids don't need to be in a school based setting all year. School is, or should be, one small part of their childhood and growing up. More options for holiday clubs would make more sense if you are staying with the current model.

@formerbabe It is a bit different here due to the weather, yes (especially in Scotland, where I am).
I was never bored, there was wall to wall sunshine and we played outside from morning til darkness, getting up to all sorts. I feel bad that my child won't have that experience but before anyone says "well go back home then", I do love Scotland and there are many good things about life here (plus I'm married to a Scot who dislikes hot weather so there's that).
The short summers are something I've never got used to though.

There's already schools which have 6 terms a year, with a 2-week break in between each term. Good for taking holidays outside of conventional terms I suppose

I grew up in Scotland too but don't remember the summers being longer. They go back sooner in August I remember and this was better, I think. I don't remember much playing in the sun either!

Riva interesting you found this better as a teacher (the way mentioned in the OP)

"Teachers woul still teach bit instead if oing though each bit of the curriculum, do workshops and let students manage their own learning"

And what does this actually look like in reality

What I have in mind for example is, say in chemistry, a teacher would spend 20.mins of the lesson demonstrating an experiment or in history discussing an event.
If you have already covered it in your work, its revision, If you havent, it's an intro to a new topic.
And floating teachers would only cover lessons in any one class for a couple of weeks as teachers take their annual leave. Probably not much more than happens already with supply teachers. But if the lessons, support materials and resources were online already, it would be the same lesson as normal just without the 20 min tutorial.
I am a former teacher btw, so not trying to reduce teachers role to content deliverer, but it could make for new and dynamic ways of learning. the changes in the last 30 years in technology have barely impacted schools to date, and where they are used, it is almost always crammed into the current model
Perhaps its time for a rethink. Knowledge can be delivered online and teachers can do the important job if ensuring understanding, and empowering students to learn
Pipe dream, though, I think

@Orangeblossom78 No I meant I live in Scotland now, I grew up in another country and was reminiscing about my childhood there.

Ah, I see.

I like the holidays as they are, I do like the idea of every Monday off too though. They are children they are not little robots waiting to be programmed, they need down time.

When would you suggest large scale public examinations such as GCSEs and A levels are marked? Who do you think does that marking, and when?

This would cause a logistical nightmare, mean exam year students actually miss more ‘term time’ in the crucial year and would cost more to recruit exam markers.

*I think this is pulling up the ladder after us, to be honest. One of the true joys of childhood is that moment where you leave school for 6 weeks in a haze of glorious sunshine (one hopes) and for what seems like an eternity at that moment you don’t have to worry about: homework, bullies, getting up, being tired, not seeing your parents, whether or not you have the latest tat that people have at school, not being able to keep up in Maths etc.

Let the kids have their break.*

^^
This

I agree OP that the "harvest" holiday is an anomaly and six weeks are too long. It's all very well for people to talk about magic summers and all of that, but if you are in England, the simple truth is that August isn't that great, weather-wise. It's a better system in Scotland although I wouldn't like to lose May half term. And if you are poor/deprived, six weeks in the summer is hell. There was a campaign in the Evening Standard to raise money for summer schemes to help deprived communities in London. Those on free school meals lose their guaranteed meal a day.

I would definitely agree that the holidays need to be distributed differently. Exam timetables could be moved if needsbe.

You could keep the Feb half term week and 2 weeks at Easter, but then have 2 weeks in late May or early June and then have 4 weeks in the summer and 2 weeks in October and in December.

A month off in the summer is still a long time, but less of an expanse of time that needs filling.

I have spent far too many hours thinking about this myself. I have spreadsheets for it.

My idea is full time school open 14 hours a day (with a core of compulsory hours). Just admit/accept that we have a childcare crisis, and provide it. Address the issues of poor diet, lack of exercise, mental health issues etc.
Teachers and other staff work their hours and nothing else, it’s all done in their hours (there are three shifts, early, mid and late and you do two of those per day).

When would schools do any maintenance or upkeep. My DH spends the entire six week summer holiday in schools, replacing/fixing kitchens, toilets etc and barely manages to finish before the start of Sept term.

I have lots of family in other countries. This sort of a school system would heavily restrict my ability to spend time with them and take my children to meet them.

If I'm flying to Israel or the US, I want to spend at least 2 weeks there. 1 week hardly seems worth it.

In an increasingly globalised world, where loads of people have either moved overseas themselves, or have family abroad, this would be hugely inconvenient. It would probably also lead to people flying more, as in order to spend two weeks with your family, it will now require two round trips.

There is no after school/ holiday club type provision for a child like mine who requires specialist provision and support. So it wouldn't work for all children and some disadvantaged children would be further disadvantaged.

When would schools do any maintenance or upkeep.

I think that a complete three week shut down in summer would be possible, otherwise schools would manage like every other organisation.

There is no after school/ holiday club type provision for a child like mine who requires specialist provision and support

But there should be, and there could be.

3-4 weeks in summer would be good perhaps. I personally find 6 weeks a bit long and expensive! I also find August can be quite wet.

the school.could have floating teachers to cover this.

Oh that would be dreadful.

How so? Don't most schools have these already, substitute teachers for when teachers are sick?