To feel sorry for Scottish children?

[silver3]

Imagine having to go back to school in this suffocating heat in new blazers and school shoes. I know September can be warm too but, it seems to me, there’s nearly always a heat wave like this in mid-August. My DC have been sleeping in the basement on and off for weeks because their bedrooms are like saunas. Schools don’t always have air-conditioning. AIBU to think Nicola Sturgeon should just push the start of term back to Sept?

They always go back in August. Sometimes the weather is very hot, more often it’s 20 degrees tops.
Honestly, before I opened the post I was expecting this to be about Scottish kids being the guinea pigs for coronavirus in schools.

I'm just south of Edinburgh and it's only a lovely 24 here. Imagine all those kids in hot countries going to school 😁

Just a general comment re holiday dates... personal opinion. England should start mid June and go back mid August. Longer holidays. I know not a popular idea, but I don't think people really think what could happen with clubs, camps etc., more time to visit relatives/friends too. Also end of August is too late as nights drawing in so if say camping it's dark by 9..... Other countries have longer holidays and you can do so much more. Working people should have longer holidays too bringing up a happy new generations is important. Education is not just the 3 Rs. Holiday camps and activities can enhance children's experiences and imagine if you had longer to do something you enjoy, art, craft, sport acting etc... Happy children learn better.

No judgement
But I do pity Scottish children for their inadequate education many receive.
But presumably you have children in the Scottish Ed system, so I totally get your reluctance to accept the very substantial body of objective international and national research based on different enquiries. And indeed Scotland’s own Ed department’s statements.

I’d do exactly the same. So I’ll leave you to it

I’ve read to page 11 so not RTFT just yet.
Wanted to say, I live in sunny SW Scotland (the riviera of Scotland no less) and it was 29° at school pick up so a wee bit too warm for me and the kids looked positively done in. Primary age so no blazers etc. Should be back to normal temps of 23° the next few days so that’ll be nicer.
In defence of OP, I did look at weather forecast the other day and said to DH ‘look at the difference in temps tomorrow, we quite often get a good 10° difference but it was 35° in London and 16° in central belt. That’s almost 20° difference and that’s not normally the case.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/aberdeenshire-scotland-train-derails-flooding-today-stonehaven-a9666571.html

Stonehaven incident: Major emergency response after train derails near Aberdeenshire

All the best to anyone involved very sad to hear.

@Waytoomuch82

No judgement But I do pity Scottish children for their inadequate education many receive. But presumably you have children in the Scottish Ed system, so I totally get your reluctance to accept the very substantial body of objective international and national research based on different enquiries. And indeed Scotland’s own Ed department’s statements.

I’d do exactly the same. So I’ll leave you to it

No judgment,lol. Yes, standards have fallen so low they're now similar or slight lower than England in one are last time I saw the PISA scores.

Odd to post that but do not research

Latest Pisa 2019

* Compared to the other home nations, Scotland was ahead of Wales and Northern Ireland but slightly behind England.*

If you're really concerned about Scottish education read this

mrpriestley.wordpress.com/2019/12/06/what-do-the-pisa-results-tell-us-about-scottish-education/

It's written by a well respected professor at Stirling Uni. In fact, he's leading the review/inquiry of the recent SQA results.

I don’t doubt that

However you referred to PISA and that Scotland had done better than England.

It hasn’t. Not in maths or English or indeed any of the subjects.

@2bazookas blazers compulsory at my son's school. I live near Glasgow. Not a private school.

@2bazookas you are clearly in a different local authority as we only have one week holiday in October. Even in Scotland, holidays and uniform policy are clearly different.

@silver3 taking your question about schools starting in August rather than September serioisly and ignoring the weather issue.

Its about what is the norm for you so something not normal makes us raise our eyes. I do not.fet how ameeixans manage their HUGE summer holidays yet I know its done that way.

Growing up in Scandinavia I was used to June closure and August start. When I had children I got used to July closure August start.

There are pro and cons of both of them. Pro for June closure is usually they get the nicer weather July is in my opinion the nicer month
(I just checked this and according to Wikipedia I'm right here but temperature wise its not by much the biggest difference is sunshine hours where July has 9 more.

August usually have some hot hot days and when I went to school I can remember not wanting to be inside during this. However I can also remember this for my children with regards to July.

I would say the big benefit for late July closure is that if you go abroad to Europe they have what is called the industrial holiday where dor 3 weeks many factories close for summer holidays so a lot of tourists around.

Personally having experienced both i prefer the june closure however there is not a lot in it. I have enjoyed the Scandinavian holidays in late August with fewer tourists but I doubt I would have minded much if it had been june closure in the UK.

I spotted this thread in my watched list and laughed because it's rainy and cold here.

A week in to being back on school, the only reason I feel sorry for the dc is that the plan for mainly outdoor learning has been thwarted by the persistent torrential rain. Quite the opposite of OP's theory!