To think allowing holidays in term time for a bit would solve a lot of problems

[Babamamananarama]

Lots more people are going to have to holiday in the UK in coming years. Holiday spots will be swamped. Campsites in Cornwall are reporting 250% rise in bookings this year.

Given that we've now accepted that kids can miss a couple of weeks of school without the sky falling in, how about we allow term-time holidays for a bit?

• less price gouging
• tourist season spread over longer, so more job stability in tourist regions
• would reduce dangerous strain on rural services (Cornwall has one small hospital which can't cope with the influx each year)
• safer/lower risk of COVID spread as not so crowded
• easier for families to manage
• better for workplaces not to have all staff who are parents trying to take holiday in the same 6 weeks as we try to get back to normal...

Obviously it would also make sense to reduce the academic target setting for a bit and concentrate on a more holistic approach to the recovery curriculum with wellbeing at the forefront for a change...

AIBU?

That’s actually a great idea

I think it’s a great idea! Can teachers get in on these term time holidays too?!

I see what you mean but haven't t kids missed enough school now?
Surely catching up is going to benhard enough without more time off for a holiday?

Teachers are going to have a stressful enough time trying to catch up the children with all the weeks they've missed. Having a different child out every week will make it harder.

Holidays are a luxury, not a right.

It only works if every child is in the same boat as they have been during lockdown. If not, you've got them falling behind/missing work that the others are doing.

No, they’ve missed enough school so I think when they go back fully schools will be shit hot over attendance.

Holidays are absolutely a luxury, not a right. Kids, schools and teachers don't need any more disruption. Holidays can wait. Education should be every parent's priority right now.

It’s a nice idea but it is an absolute pain as a teacher when a child takes a term-time holiday because you need a personalised catch-up plan when they return. Doing 30 at different times of the year would be a nightmare! It also depends very much on the child, even if you can catch them up academically, for some children any time away causes problems with friendships and/or behaviour.

I think we need to prioritise getting kids education back on track rather than hanging out on a campsite in Cornwall for a week.

Everyone will have had a different level of input and progress during lockdown, and teachers are going to have a mammoth task to reassess and catch everyone up to where they should be. If pupils keep disappearing off for a week in the sun then that makes their job even harder.

I'm so sick of people saying that the tourist industry is "price gouging". People are just trying to make a living. If you allow people to go on holiday during term time the prices for those periods will go up but summer prices will not go down. Supply and demand.

Kids have missed 3-6 months schooling I dont believe this is the time to encourage them to miss more.

I think it's going to be hard enough getting everyone caught up as it is without random kids off at different times

Kids have missed enough school time. They need to actually get bashed in and learn.

I get what you are suggesting but I think it would be unfair on teachers who will be trying to get classes progressing to be constantly trying to do catch up with individual children.

What would make sense would be to stagger the October week. So different areas take different weeks giving holiday areas a longer season and reducing prices for families.

Scotland has holiday weekends in September, Edinburgh's is the weekend before Glasgow's, there is no reason for all of England to have exactly the same holidays.

I think that’s a bad idea. The parents who care about education and have persevered with home schooling, will stick to normal holidays.

Those who are less bothered, and who haven’t done much home schooling will be the ones to take their children out during term time, leaving those dcs at even more of a disadvantage.

Plus adds more difficulty for the teachers.

I would agree with the posters saying it's unfair on teachers as they would need to continually create personalised catch up plans for students.

However my secondary school DC's school have been woeful in terms of providing material since the end of March saying they will just ensure that kids catch up depending on how much work they have done and that they are experts in helping kids catch up.

I've been worried about the lack of work but they are extremely laid back about the schooling missed- so I'll be much more laid back about term time holidays in future.

Years 7 and 9.....

Ok so I hear what people are saying re kids catching up in work and additional strain on teachers.

But we may have a 'blended learning' model for a bit anyway, where kids are at home some of the time and at school some of the time with work uploaded onto the website still. So teachers will already be setting work online, and parents have a better understanding of their kids curriculum and how to support them with it.

Holidays are a luxury but also pretty important for people's mental health.

Re tourist prices: of course people are trying to make a living. And it's not helpful that they mainly have 6 weeks to make their living in, when the British summer season could easily run May-Sept. Surely 'supply and demand' means if there is lower demand in the 6 week summer period the prices won't be pushed as astronomically high?

I get people's anxiety with 'catching up' and 'getting back to normal' but we are in a new normal, and need to adjust our way of life in lots of ways. I'm suggesting something that could have multiple benefits.

We are likely to see a drop in overseas visitors at the minute, so it's unlikely to be as swamped as you're implying.

Because teachers aren’t going to have enough work to do to bridge the gaps in children’s education without having children going off for random holidays as well.

Next year not taking term time holidays will be even more important than normal

This isn't going to still be an issue by next summer! People will be straight back to Spain etc, next year will be back to normal.

I'm sorry op but people have just had months of family time etc. Its more important that kids get back to their education.

No, children have missed enough school, and teachers have done enough bridging. I know it's different for those who have been working long hours etc, but surely most people have had a lot of 'family time' and can head to the beach before September?

I'm a primary school teacher and I totally agree. So shoot me.
5 'grace days' each academic year would allow families to holiday more flexibly. Perhaps not taken as a chunk to facilitate taking a whole week off school, but tacking a day or two on to an existing school holiday or creating a 'long weekend'.
It would also stop the perceived need for parents to coach children to lie about holiday travel; I see pupils tied up in knots, returning from term time holidays, desperate to share their experiences, who have been told 'the teachers will fine us', really undermining the relationship and putting such a dampener of guilt and confusion on what could be a time of delicious basking in the afterglow of their holidays.
I have taught across the primary range, value my profession and the positive impact of regular school attendance on children's learning and well-being, and I know there are many colleagues who will disagree with this, but children are often able to catch up with what they missed when away, whether through illness or travel. Sometimes not, and that's problematic, which is why I would be reluctant to enable taking a whole week out, but OK with a family going away a couple of days before the Christmas holidays begin, and taking a Friday off in June to enjoy a weekend festival, for instance.

Perhaps it should be allowed for key workers and those that have had to work for the duration and not had any family time as their kids have been at school every day!

Obviously it would also make sense to reduce the academic target setting for a bit and concentrate on a more holistic approach to the recovery curriculum with wellbeing at the forefront for a change...

That's fine until it means that children are at a distinct disadvantage, especially those with exams looming.

OP did you not see the latest government updates? Shielding is ending. Social distancing will be relaxed. There is absolutely nothing stopping schools being back to full time all kids from september.

The new normal you are imagining will be over in about 3 weeks. The only long term change that will remain is more people will do a proportion of home working as it's more economically efficient to reduce office overheads and cut wasted commute time.

And there's usually demand from couples, families with preschoolers prices are higher for longer than the 6 week school summer holiday times. It's not that the season stop and starts that abruptly. Around 10% of children are finishing up this week (scotland) plus private schools also have longer holiday periods.

So no, after missing 3 months in the classroom already don't think they should be considering relaxing rules at all. (Plus the additional work for teachers...)