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

As a teacher and a parent, shortening or removing the summer holidays would be a terrible idea for all the reasons mentioned up thread.

I would think that if it safe to release people from lockdown, the government would want summer holidays to happen as normal so that people will go out and spend as much as possible on leisure activities to boost the economy. If the kids were in school, the spending would be far, far less.

Which would they rather? A few weeks of extra education (combined with union unrest and/or extra expenses paid to schools) or a country-wide spending frenzy from people who have been kept inside for so long?

No one needs tha big holiday after lockdown

Excuse me? I do. I'm juggling full time work with caring for and trying to educate my kids. We'll all need a break when this is over.

MilkysMum

When to you propose those holidays are relocated to then?

Booking a holiday through the school holidays already come with a peak price. Condensing the Summer will make it unaffordable for most people to travel abroad. (I mean in the Summer in general, not this year).

Work in a school but don't get paid for holidays. I am wfh so still doing my role.

Again this is one of those schools is just full of kids. No one has thought of the HR staffing side of it

Kids cooped up at home for weeks, possibly months, expected to be cooped up at school as soon as they are "freed".

How can this ever be a good idea?

God I hope not. I'm hoping for a few weeks for DS to return to Primary to finish off his schooling there properly with his friends..
Also hoping for usual return to school as the Autumn term is always long and difficult for children, teachers and everyone generally in the education sector. Plus I don't want DS to burn out in first few months of secondary

No one needs tha big holiday after lockdown

if there was a ever a need for a holiday, after a lockdown is the time!!!

In all seriousness though, I hope, if it’s safe, they put their money where their mouth is. It would be fantastic, and I can’t see any teachers having an issue volunteering on a rota basis at my school. Most of us are missing our classes!

Most of my class don’t have a garden, giving them time to see their friends and do lots of playing in a safe space, would have an enormous impact on their learning in the Autumn term.

The NEU are being painted as simply saying “teachers need a holiday” when that’s not the case. They’re apprehensive, as Its likely to be left to individual schools, without budget.

My school runs summer school type provision over 50% (roughly) of the Easter, Spring bank and the summer holidays. It’s aimed at specific kids and dependent on teacher/TA volunteers. It’s in part funded by pupil premium and cheap because no one is paid.

To make it more widely available, we’d need funding though.

Call me cynical, but I can’t see the government paying for something that ‘only’ improves children’s well-being. The children’s commissioner, in that article, is focusing on that as much as it being a childcare solution.

If schools are safe to be open, so will child minders and holiday clubs. Childcare won’t be an issue at that stage.

YANBU.

I'm teaching staff and I'm not on holiday. My kids aren't on holiday. We're working at home (or I'm in school when needed). We will want and need our actual holiday. (And schools can't afford it anyway; there is no extra money in the pot to pay for school staffs to come in for the summer weeks, which would be required.)

Plan to visit elderly relatives if we're allowed to leave our home this summer! And have other important events on the calendar if they go ahead as well.

School can go back to normal in September if we're up and running by then.

The 'booked holidays' thing doesn't fly because do much had been cancelled for many people, jobs lists etc so missing out on a booked holiday is trivial.
What they could do is keep the six weeks, but split into smaller chunks day two lists of three weeks separated by four or some other configuration.
What is in plane now does not have to be forever /as another poster said about the learning -we make the rules do we can change them to suit the unprecedented circs.

@HainaultViaNewburyPark

In response to rolling our holidays forward. Do you mean adding the extra 6 weeks onto all the holidays next year? So....
October 2 weeks
Christmas 3 weeks
Feb 2 weeks
Easter 3 weeks
May 2 weeks
Summer next year 7/8 weeks

That would be awesome.

@salemcat yes but in Scotland they break to considerably earlier than in the rest of the country- like end of June in some cases!

I'm a secondary teacher, on a rota looking after key worker kids or at home setting and marking work. I've also got my 3 year old at home whilst my key worker dh is at work. We have a two week uk holiday booked the last two weeks of August. I want to spend the holidays making up time that we've been cooped up indoors. I think all kids and families need time to be able to just go out again. My dd's nursery is term time only so I have zero childcare in the summer holidays.

We're setting work for the kids to do so they should be covering most of the curriculum. So the summer would be spent going over the same thing again, so some would be very bored!

Not to mention it's already a long slog between September and Christmas. The idea of extending that would be awful

My opinion is if we are likely to have another lockdown when this peaks again we would be better off getting them back into schools. Maybe anytime before sept dont do much work but get them into the routine of school and let them see their friends.
Have a shorter 6 weeks say go back mid August then when we have another lockdown oct time those weeks we went back early can be taken then.
Not sure how this would work practically but tbh I think teachers might have to suck up flexible working for a year or 2 until we are back to normal. Let's face it the rest of the country is.

Parents generally aren't happy when children have supply teachers/ split classes or any disruption.
I'm not sure how teachers getting holidays carried forward is going to work!!!!!

@Saoirse7 I agree about the disdain for teachers. And kids. And people having holidays. And joy and fun. There are a small minority of people on mumsnet who would be quite happy with kids in work houses I think and a good Protestant work ethic too 🤪

Personally if my son had been cooped up for however many months. I certainly wouldn't be sending him back into school before September regardless. Children have not had their proper downtime. I would be off camping and having some freedom. Although I see why some would need to send them in as routine of school is a saviour for some.

The economy really is going to suffer with all these selfish people worrying about taking or rolling over extended holidays right into the period when we can actually get productive and our economy started again. If we want to get out of economic depression, we have work to do. Holidays can come next year.

It seems that to control Coronovirus before a vaccine is developed we may need many smaller lockdowns going forward. One way to work towards achieving this may be to shorten the summer and add the 'lost' holiday onto the 20/21 holidays in order to make a series of mini lockdowns.

E.g.
Return after May half term
7 weeks at school
3 weeks off school in summer (with mini lockdown)
7 weeks at school
3 weeks off school to run alongside October half term (mini lockdown)
7 weeks at school
3 weeks off school over Christmas (mini lockdown)

And so on (I haven't added the weeks, the above is for illustration purposes only). Teaching staff then get their holiday time off, as do children, just spaced out.

The only downsides is that when children are off (other than weekends) we would effectively be in lockdown again and therefore the economy wouldn't get as much of much needed boost.

Well, I'm a teacher and I will not be going back to school in July or August. I want some normal family time, in normal circumstances. Children also need time to be with their friends in a social way, not just at school. I will leave my job if they insist that I go back in summer. I can't see the teaching unions standing for this either.

agree about the disdain for teachers. And kids. And people having holidays

I respect my teachers & love my kids & think holidays are great but I'm also aware that most working parents don't have 6 weeks off over Summer (I get a month off).
There will be plenty of nhs staff or supermarket workers who have been working flat out who would love 6 weeks off in the Summer but don't have that option. Like I said upthread plenty of people are looking forward to their summer off forgetting that in order to facilitate that plenty people need to be working, many of whom will also be exhausted.

They will be wanting to move the second peak forward from Autumn.
Schools back, even for a month or so in July, with August off will bring a second peak in the summer. Schools back September will probably have us locked down again November and December?
Unless there’s a vaccine we’re either social distancing or full lockdown in rotation for a year or two?

I'm still working full time and so is my husband. Both out of the home. DD 10 is coming in with me each day (we're the only two people in) and has a desk etc.

This isn't a holiday for her or me. Its stressful, cramped and isolated. We missed the trip we normally take together in Feb half term because of the storms; we can't do Easter and May half term looks doubtful. She needs time to be a kid - outdoors, no stress, and I need time to be 'just' her parent- the happy, we're on holiday, stuff bedtime version.

I wish they'd make a decision on schools just so we know where we stand. But changing the school year now would be one more disruption on top of a lot more.

Anyway, the main point being missed is that most teachers are still working over and beyond their full timetable, so it is business at usual for most.

Just because a minority of schools only sent out a few worksheets or whatever doesn't mean you can tarnish every single teacher with the same brush. I completed a day of planning and resource making on Friday, a bank holiday. Technically a day off, but usually we work days in our holidays anyway in order to be able to meet the ridiculous expectations of the job. Never worry though, let's just make teacher work through the Summer Holidays too. Straight into the longest and busiest term of Autumn.

The profession as a whole is being treated as dispensable. People think they can dictate when teachers should have holidays. Which other profession has been subjected to this on Mumsnet? I recognise that Key Workers are not getting their holiday entitlement at the minute, but they will receive those holidays at a time of their choosing.

No wonder so many people are starting to have bad experiences with teachers. The good ones are starting to leave the profession in droves. Then you end up with the poor teachers some of you have experienced, who take the job just because of the holidays.