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

Before I say this I'm not a teacher , but please let's give teachers a break they are still working as well . Be it in Rita for keyworkers or arranging work and marking etc . It would be unfair to exoect them to work July and August yes it could be asked and maybe a different holiday given but would have to be accepted

Macron said schools go back from 11 may. He did not say lessons would begin in September!

For those saying we could stagger the pupils returning (having transitional year groups etc in) have you considered that this would impact work set for other year groups too? If I’m in front of classes all day (I wouldn’t be able to be on normal timetable, as I’d only probably be able to gave 10-12 pupils in the room) I won’t be able to also set work for the pupils not in school.

If they were to cancel the summer holidays, I’d deal with it, if they were paying me. Considering where I am in Scotland we have a 7 week summer, at my salary (bog standard unpromoted teacher, but at the top of the scale) they’d be paying an extra £7.5k. That’s putting aside the educational and behavioural problems we’d have with such long terms.

I’ll just assume that the posters who are all for the reduced summer holidays have not been going to work as normal with their dc in school as is the case of my family and many others. If this was to happen when would I get time to spend with my DC. Should we continue to make sacrifices because others have been in lockdown with their DC. Dont think so. My DC will be having their summer “off” school as they have been going every day even this week as no annual leave allowed.

@FredericaBimmel you earn over £1000 a week as a teacher I'm in the wrong profession lol.

So Macron is saying opening up mid May we are weeks behind them so I guess if we followed suit it would be Start to late June here.

France went into lockdown 17th march .

Not rtft but do the keyworkers and their children spending all day mon-Friday in a hub school not need a holiday?
And there is an assumption in this thread that all children are bored and haven’t been affected by the virus- some children have been sick, had sick family members and know of people that have died. They are fairly traumatised and need some “normalcy” before being thrust back into school. Normally means hanging out with friends, going to the park/shops/cinema/museum whatever

My kids are teenagers are have still been studying at home. From what I can tell from friends, their children are too.
Anyway it won't happen. Whoever suggested this has no idea of all the others staff that they need to pay to keep schools open.

Just a question- what are people want to spend the6 weeks at home with? it is extremely unlikely that lufe will go back to normal any time soon, and sports clubs, playing in the park in groups, camping, travelling etc is like to be impossible for a while as contacts are untraceable. 6 weeks of sitting at home on your own is miserable even for kids with a garden.
mine and friends’ kids (age 5-18) are all desperate to go back to school

They are fairly traumatised and need some “normalcy” before being thrust back into school. Normally means hanging out with friends, going to the park/shops/cinema/museum whatever
that is very unlikely to happen, school or no school. social distancing will stay around for a while, and untraceable close contact is about the worst thing you can do in a pandemic.
6 weeks summer holiday means likely 6 weeks of very limited movement, which isn’t great. this virus is going to be with us for another year at least

Okay, so probably a bit of a stupid question but can someone explain how teachers 'don't get paid' during summer the summer break? That is, 'it's just their annual salary divided by 52 weeks' so they receive 6 weeks of that but don't (typically) have to go in? Isn't that just like non-reaching jobs (except we do have to go in?

The solution is quite simple, really. Open schools after May half-term - that will be around 7 weeks of schooling for all years bar 11 and 13 (let's face it, they're done). There will be a big rise in infections.

Close for the summer holidays to wait out that peak.

Re-open in September as planned for a few weeks, then another lockdown around the half-term holidays.

Schools open during the holidays are staffed by volunteers where I am - and they get paid. The trust would not be able to afford our pay over summer, but if schools were closed then as planned, holiday schemes could take over childcare - all it takes is re-defining them as key workers, too.

Let's not forget it's not just salaries and wages that would need to be paid. Every penny also adds extra to NI, pensions, insurance etc.

@cakemeupbeforeyougogo

When I worked in schools I got paid for 39 weeks of the year that I worked plus 4 weeks holidays. So 43 weeks pay which was then divided into 12 monthly payments.

The teachers were the same, although some got paid for 5.6 weeks holiday.

So I got paid in the holidays, but not for all the holidays

cakemeup, It's been explained countless times on this thread alone.

This won't happen . If we are back up and running by the summer hols they will want us out and about spending money . I personally think the kids will be back in school before July anyway .

Who's planning on going away on holiday this summer when :

a) we won't have a vaccine for COVID-19 until mid/end 2021?

b) we won't have tested everyone (and don't plan to) to identify and register those who have already contracted it and are 'immune'.

c) actually we don't know if having had this virus once, makes one immune to further infection.

d) we don't know and likely won't know by summer 2020 who is a carrier and simply not displaying symptoms.

So, which UK and overseas hot-spots are we all planning on traipsing into to reignite this virus in summer 2020?

AIBP?!

@Namechangedforthisreply7 having worked in the private sector for over ten years (in international law) before retraining as a teacher I can vouch that the hours are indeed comparable (60 plus per week most of the year). Obviously the remuneration was far superior in my former role when these days it barely scrapes minimum wage if you break it down, However, the key difference for me is respect. In my former life people listened to my professional opinion and followed my advice. Often I was dealing with matters that were of real consequence, but people trusted me and my knowledge and qualifications. These days my advice is far more mundane, but the world and his wife think they know better and there are multiple layers of unnecessary micromanagement second guessing and double checking everything I do. Far more than I ever had when I was dealing with issues with far more wide-reaching implications and definitely more than is necessary. When I read posts and threads like this it does make me wonder why I bother...

Nope sorry Tulipstulips, you are incorrect, schools close because July and August due to the hot temperatures that time of year in the UK. There may not have been that many since the 70's/80's but that is why they close. The same in the med, the schools close due to the high temperatures.

Source? I don’t buy it at all. It’s often hotter in June! And what about countries with hotter average temperatures throughout the summer? Why aren’t schools shut all summer? Why do they shut in Scotland for the summer? Historically, in the UK children were off in the summer to help with the harvest. It’s never too hot in an British summer to have schools open.

@Peppafrig That’s pre-deductions, obvs, so I don’t actually get that much in my bank account, but yep. We’re paid very fairly in Scotland.

If anything, it’s a holdover from when parliament and law courts shut over the summer hundreds of years ago so the rich could go to their country retreats - schools today still follow the holiday patterns from the elite private schools founded in those times. That it’s been the pattern of holidays in schools for hundreds of years doesn’t mean it would be impossible to move them earlier in the summer to allow schools to open in August, or have October as the long holiday because we’ll probably be back in lockdown come the winter - hot weather won’t stop the government reopening schools! Other factors such as teacher pay or difficult logistics may well factor in though.

I think in theory, the idea of having the kids in school over the summer then off for the long break in the middle of winter (no home school, actually off) probably would fit in well with the virus, it is likely the gov are going to want it to spread it a bit more over the summer then lock down again at the height of the winter - all to prevent the NHS becoming overwhelmed. This thing isn't going away anytime soon.

However of course it would not work in reality and would be grossly unfair to teachers. I keep saying to DH we need to try and support local shops that we want to open up again after lockdown, but more so than that; we need to support our teachers who we definitely need to still be there when this is all over. A lot of my NHS colleagues are saying they will be looking for a new career after this is all over due to how we have been treated by management (lack of PPE etc), lets not push teachers into the same mindset.

To those preoccupied with holidays and trips to the beach, I think we have to accept that there will be sacrifices to be made for some time to come, so that really shouldn't be considered in this context. Also, pp mentioned the 'poor kids currently slogging away in school' - no, it is childcare only. No different to any other kids attending childcare throughout the summer break, most of us do work over the summer months after all! Kids get 9 weeks summer break where I am and it really is not necessary.

I do think some people on here are desperate to believe schools won’t reopen until September. I’m not sure why they think September is a good time to reopen. It makes more sense to relax lockdown in May for schools to get some normalcy back, including relaxing social distancing etc. Shops to reopen and people to go back into work for a bit. Cases will rise again and then we’ll lock down again. A peak in summer will be safer than a peak in autumn because there will be fewer other winter illnesses taking up NHS resources.

We’re looking at a year of peaks and lockdowns. People shouldn’t rigidly expect school holiday schedules to stay the same as they are in normal years.