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

My selfish concern as a teacher is that I don't have childcare as I don't have it over summer. Unless it was government mandated for all childcare settings.

@Sophiasky fortunately/unfortunately I know an awful lot of primary school teachers as family and friends. Most (at primary level) dislike the 6 weeks simply because they then have to spend the first 5 to 6 weeks getting the kids back up to speed. They'd rather the time off was spread more evenly. As an aside as a mum to four and almost the same age as you, but youngest still in primary. I adore the summer hols. We go to a decrepit caravan in SW France with little wifi and the younger two become feral and run around outside having the time of their lives. But I'm in the very privileged position of being able to take 6 weeks on hol cos I'm a SAHM.

DrMadelineMaxwell loads of parents are taking paid and unpaid leave at the moment, how are we all going to have enough leave to cover 6 months? Honestly teachers seem to think they're the only ones working at the moment, does no-one realise that most families are working AND educating their kids, many with really piss poor resources. I'm spending half my evenings printing stuff of twinkl because my kids teachers on their £30k a year each are somehow very busy teaching imaginary children. Am I missing something? And yes school is open but they have 30 kids and 17 teachers most of who don't have their own kids.

Theholidayarmadillo4 but non teachers, all those parents at your school need to work during the school holidays so can't you do what they do? They're also working with no childcare now and really struggling.

I think the lockdown will be lifted in phases and this is one of them. My guess is that they don’t want lots of people suddenly travelling and spreading it again. This would allow them (children, teachers, etc) to get out of their homes and begin to slowly resume some normality.

Why should teachers work through the lockdown and then the summer as well. They need a break as well as the kids

Teacher here.
I have been working all day everyday
I have been looking after keyworker children unpaid in what is the Easter holidays risking my health and that of my family

I do not want to do more work in the summer holidays even if they pay me -which they probably won’t
I want to see family and friends
I want to get fresh air more than once a day for a short time

My daughters deserve time away from learning- at home/in school or otherwise
They deserve something to look forward to and a reward for being so good

We all do- your kids included

Boylovesmeerkats yes, my husband and I are both also currently working with no childcare so I totally get that everyone working at home with kids are struggling... What did you think I was doing?

What do non teachers do for childcare in the summer holidays? They must partly use up annual leave? I can't do that.

My sis who’s a teacher has already been told to expect to work the summer as schools will likely be kept open for key workers or terms will be rearranged depending on what the situation is All teachers at our school and all I know are being paid for the holidays schools can claim extra costs back.

boylovesmeerkats

Honestly teachers seem to think they're the only ones working at the moment,

What a spectacular piece of bullshit, you must be so proud.

does no-one realise that most families are working AND educating their kids, many with really piss poor resources.

Maybe you should add the the many, many threads on this then we might not miss it.

He only profession I've come across doggedly sticking to working only to what they are paid for is the teaching profession.

I'm surrounded by people doing their normal work but having taken a pay cut, working very extended hours for no extra pay, working through bank holidays and their planned holiday, even working for nothing to keep the wheels turning.

It's all take. No give.

Yes, keeping a school open is not just about teachers- there's the caretaker, the cooks, the midday-supervisors, the cleaners, the TAs, the support staff. They would all need paying! They would all have to forgo their booked holidays! I don't think it's practical!

i’m not from the uk (but from another european country), and grew up on a farm. 6 weeks summer holidays as well, and they were spend on the fields every day (potatoe and grain harvest, some hay). is the agricultural calendar in the uk so different? we all drove the old/small tractors from about12/13 years as well, and potato harvest is easy anyway

I think I may be bias as a home educator (my child has never been to school) but I think the children NEED time to just be kids once this is all over. Run round the parks with their friends, garden parties, BBQs and trips to see relatives. This situation is stressful for them too. Give them a break.

This really is just for my fellow teachers on here - I'll just quote from peoplepleaser's post 'working very extended hours for no extra pay' and leave it there for you all Never done that!!

@FreakStar booked holidays are very unlikely to happen (agree on them needing pay though)

Honestly teachers seem to think they're the only ones working at the moment,

Nonsense. Most of us live with or are friends with many other people who are working, either in their workplaces or from home.

This thread is about whether teachers should forgo their holiday entitlement and work through them, if and when restrictions are lifted. Not surprisingly many people would rather not work for free on an ongoing basis. And many teachers and TAs will have worked throughout this and would like to benefit from some holiday time when it is possible. Just like many other workers.

does no-one realise that most families are working AND educating their kids, many with really piss poor resources.

Many teachers and TAs are also working AND educating their own children.
Not all teachers and TAs have their own fantastic technology to use at home either.

All teachers at our school and all I know are being paid for the holidays schools can claim extra costs back.

Well, none of the teachers I know are being paid. for the KW childcare and huge numbers of my friends are teachers. We have just been put on the rota.

I know union advice is that we should be given toil or paid, but we are in a massive deficit budget at school and have just had a huge round of redundancies. Nobody is going to start shouting about what the unions are saying on this one-there is plenty of good will as we are all nice people who are happy to provide the childcare.

I’m sure none of us would be up for teaching unpaid all Summer though.

If the government asked schools to open for the holidays I would do it but I would be interested how the pay would work. I don't think it's wrong to say that.

peoplepleaser1

It's all take. No give.

Good to see that you are still posting drivel.

To me it would mean the world for my children to be able to go to school in the summer holidays and be able to catch up on their education in a safe space with routine and structure as through no fault of their own (I fled domestic violence & have just been moved into our permanent new build house) and my children simply don’t have the infrastructure to support this homeschooling malarkey as we currently don’t even have a cooker, never mind a TV/DVD player or the Internet and a Laptop to engage with all the fantastic educational resources available or to even maintain the basics from the school.

I feel like such a failure for nothing having any of this available to my children but I’m sure we aren’t alone in this hidden dilemma as I know of many head teachers either keeping schools open anyway not just to key worker but also truly vulnerable children where school beats a bedsit or deliver their free school meals directly to households!

I should think that they will roll this out on a voluntary basis and I would hope that many teachers will embrace this rather than wearing their union hat, as many children are truly slipping through the net!

Just because schools are reopened doesn’t meal travel restrictions will be lifted anyway so holidays can wait until Christmas or 2021

@Didiusfalco

Teachers are salary based - directed time in hours of I think 1265 over 195 days - they then also get their 28 days holiday entitlement that everyone is entitled to. So say 223 days that gives them around 6.4 hours per day directed time. So around 18-20 pound an hour - which would be lovely if they actually did 6.4 hours a day but we all know that A. School hours are a lot longer than that and B. Teachers put in a lot more hours for planning, marking, meetings, exams etc so take their day up to around 8-9 hours only looking around 15-16 an hour, for a skilled job with a degree isn’t that amazing.

Support staff roles don’t require any extra out of the hours contracted hence the pro rata pay. TA pay (level 3) is actually quite decent at £11/£12 ph (if you actually just TA and aren’t cover) for the hours actually worked - it’s only the pro rata part that makes it seem crap.

And to those moaning that teachers aren’t currently working every hour they’re contracted to right now, if they did that normally your children would have a very very poor education, but then all those things are forgotten when people just want to moan and dig.

@peoplepleaser1 Who? I don't know anyone working for nothing! Who is working for free? Who is working longer hours without pay?

Most people I know are working less hours on reduced pay. My brother has taken a 20% pay cut, but he's also working from home on reduced hours because most of his work can't be done from home.

Teachers are working now, in their Easter holiday, so what are you talking about?

@myself2020 most potato harvest is in October- called the tattie holidays in North East Scotland

Speaking as a parent stuck in a flat with no outside space and very few local places we can walk that are green and nice to walk because we are in a town and parks are a nono I actually want the chance to take my kids to visit family and go camping somewhere green! Not even far away really just an hour down the road would do. This lockdown is all well and good for people with houses and gardens but not everyone is that fortunate.