To not want schools to give up summer holidays

[littleblackdress04]

Just read in papers that it’s been proposed that kids go back to school in July/ August

I think this is a rubbish idea - if it’s going to be that long then just let them have a ‘normal’ summer and go back in September.

Kids have been cooped up because of this- I’d want to take mine to the hills, go camping & let them have some freedom. Then start school in September. This isn’t a holiday for them - it’s a horrible stressful period of being cooped up & not being able to live their normal lives.

While school gives a structure and is important, so are proper periods of holiday.

I’m really against the idea but aibu? Be interested to hear other thoughts. I’ve not been particularly worried about the kids education- they will catch up in time and it will be fine

I'd be ok with shortening the holiday to four weeks, but agree that they need time out with friends.

This is most certainly not a holiday. Especially if you are a child who lives in a small flat. Children will need their freedom on summer holiday to go outside and play. They are home schooling now so it's. It like they are sitting at home doing Jack shit either.

I think this is a logistical nightmare tbh

Youve got DC who have been cooped up for months, who are then sent straight back to school, for what 10/12 weeks? Its a long time from august till october. Behaviour will drop. Really its not much of a recharge till christmas. Thats a massively long time to expect 5 yr olds to keep going for

Plus do we start in yr 6 or yr 7? Poor DC who have no break before transitioning to secondary

Its going to be an awful lot of planning for teachers as well, to go from remote lessons straight into school with catching up etc.

DC need summer break to be children, without the rigour of school, they need time to play and run around outside. I find it really sad that some DC (SN excluded) cant entertain themselves for 6 weeks.

Im NHS and yes its pretty shit at the moment, but its not tit for tat. I hate the way NHS workers and teachers are treated like do gooders rather than skilled professionals. The whole '1 day of teaching my DC, i dont know how teachers do it tehe' teaching is a fucking skill that takes training and actually years of perfecting. Its not just a hobby. Teachers arent glorified childcare.

Don’t cancel the summer holidays just start and finish them earlier.

So depressing reading this thread.
The people who talk about children "falling behind" have limited understanding of learning and development. There is no magic window after which we stop learning and right now everyone is living in a stressful situation. What children across the world need most right now is love and security and what they will need in the summer is sunshine, play and a chance to relax. School can wait. We all need to stand together against the demand to get back to normal and make money - hold the government to account and question what society should look like- support ALL key workers including teachers and make sure everyone gets adequate pay, holiday and recognition.

I hate the way NHS workers and teachers are treated like do gooders rather than skilled professionals.

^^This. Me too.

It's a terrible idea. This is like punishing children for Corvid 19 and the lockdown. If lockdown is lifted for the summer (it may not be) families should be able to enjoy the holidays and the ability to go places once more.

@Beebie2 well we are assuming all teachers won’t want to work over some of the summer holidays? Maybe some would? Maybe some households will need the income and will be grateful for say another 2-4 weeks pay. I have friends who are supply teachers who are desperate for work.

I don't see schools or childcare resuming this side of september, those talking about getting back to work are optimistic, a lot of you will be made redundant, there will be a recession and nobody will be paying for childcare as parents will be at home on the dole.

@StrawberryBlondeStar
I have no issue with paid work, but my point earlier, was that when we have such awful budgets, who will be paying? It will be very expensive to pay school staff for an additional 6 weeks.

I don’t think children returning after such an unsettling time, to unknown staff, is a particularly good idea.

myself2020
part time might be an option? so only half classes on a week on /week off scheme? and some weeks completely off

Unless social distancing is revoked, this still won't work.

but doesn’t that go against what a lot of people are saying here that schools can’t go back because of social distancing? If it’s just a question of money - then surely that’s a conversation that can be had with teachers/schools etc?

I think you’ve confused two point here.

If it’s safe for schools to open, then they will open-but social distancing cannot continue once they open. 600 parents walking the same roads to schools, standing in the playground together, 30+ children sitting on the carpet in a small classroom-it’s over. It’s just as bad in secondary.

If you want schools to open during school holidays-you’ll have to pay staff to do that. Supply teachers may be up for it if they’ve lost out on income. Many schools have maintenance and building work that need to occur during that time though, so it’s unlikely to actually be possible.

Many many parents won’t want their children to miss out on their well-deserved holidays, though-so if you’ve only got a percentage of children in, it will be childcare-not catching up on education as so many would miss it. If it’s compulsory that kids are made to go through their holidays-the attitude/behaviour will be absolutely dire.

I still think it’s a shame the children’s centres were all closed-they could have been appropriated for childcare for holidays.

@Beebie2 but surely there’s a discussion to be had? The government will have to weigh up the economics. It may be they only consider for say primary, but there has to be a question if it’s cheaper to give schools money to stay open and pay staff for more children to attend or the impact on the economy if people can’t get back to work (especially if children can’t go to grandparents)?

I do have to say, I have heard that some schools are doing pretty much nothing in terms of home learning etc. which I do find unacceptable but at the same time many children are not accessing work that has been set also.

I'd be happy to be in school over the summer holidays, either a few weeks or the whole time for even minimum wage. However, we'd have to be clear on a few things:

1. Children would have to go back to their current year group. It'd be too much of a headache to get all the admin done for the new year by the end of July, especially if we're still in lockdown for much of that.
2. A holiday would need to be provided at the end of the six weeks (say, at least two weeks), so admin staff can sort out new classes, stationery etc., school buildings can have the maintenance/cleaning fine that usually happens over the summer hols, and teachers can have time in school to do everything they usually do at the end of term/in the summer holidays, eg. moving to a new classroom, taking down displays and re-backing boards ready, creating intervention timetables/seating plans/class groupings/sorting out resources/medium term planning for the new academic year.
3. I'd be providing childcare, not teaching, because you can guarantee many children won't be back yet so there'd be little point in curriculum teaching and you couldn't even do assessments because there'd be children missing. So it would essentially be a holiday club (hence the minimum wage) and would feature no marking, assessing, reports, interventions etc.

I think that is being quite flexible and could actually work.

I really hope that UK travel restrictions aren’t lifted for the summer. I’d quite like to enjoy the area in which I live, which I haven’t been able to do for months due to the lockdown. I would not appreciate lots of tourists flocking here this summer and causing a secondary wave of infections.

An easing of restrictions to allow children to attend childcare this summer and then return to school in September would be preferable to allowing UK wide travel to resume.

Oh, and

1. at least another two weeks between the beginning of September "holiday", where we're getting school sorted, and Christmas.
2. The opportunity to have another couple of weeks proper holiday taken in 2021.

@Appuskidu but surely we are talking about some restrictions being lifted in the scenario OP talks about? Those people talking about going on holidays, children meeting friends etc that all involves the end of social distancing (think Mothers Day pictures).

If we don’t lift some restrictions on social distancing we stay as we are. I don’t think many children or adults will find that enjoyable - it may be what happens.

We are working on the basis some restrictions are lifted over the summer? In that case surely all options should be open, including opening schools?

I do have to say, I have heard that some schools are doing pretty much nothing in terms of home learning etc. which I do find unacceptable

Government guidelines for schools:

What are the expectations on schools regarding staying in touch with parents whose child is at home?
We recognise that many schools have already shared resources for children who are at home and are grateful for this.

The Department for Education is working with the BBC, and other partners, to provide advice and support directly to parents, including online resources they can access for their children at home. We have published an initial list of online educational resources to help children to learn at home.

Schools should work with local authorities to monitor the welfare of vulnerable children who are not attending school, and other pupils they might wish to keep in touch with, for safeguarding purposes.

They are grateful for schools sharing resources, there are no expectations further than monitoring the welfare of vulnerable children.

ttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-school-closures/guidance-for-schools-about-temporarily-closing

You do realise that loads of businesses have told staff they can't roll over holiday for next year?

The Government advice has been that businesses should be allowing this, and that they should not be forcing employees to take their holidays during the shut down, certainly not all of it anyway.

Crikey. My kids won't be going back in August. If lockdown is over we'll be doing other things.

Personally, I'd say the sooner we return to some form of normality the better.
Let the kids enjoy their summer holidays. I miss seeing my kids freely running around outdoors with their buddies. They've already had too much freedom taken away as it is, let them enjoy this, then back to school in September (if schools are open by then).

Perfect time to chop it down to 4 weeks.
6 weeks is out of date . We are not bringot in the harvest anymore

I'd be happy to be in school over the summer holidays, either a few weeks or the whole time for even minimum wage

So you'd be happy to earn minimum wage whilst paying for before and after school for your own children and paying petrol expenses to go to work? I certainly wouldn't - I'd be out of pocket.

@StrawberryBlondeStar absolutely. You said to speak to schools and teachers, but it will be a government decision, based on a huge amount of economic modelling/forecasting by experts in that field. Schools and teachers won’t do any of that.