4 weeks of extra school in the summer

[noblegiraffe]

Justine Greening (former Ed sec you’ve probably forgotten) has asked that every child get a guaranteed 4 extra weeks of schooling over the summer.

Practicalities of this aside (imagine it is a fully funded army of well-trained, eager and willing tutors, fresh and full of energy rocking up to your kids’ school), do you want this for your children? When you saw the thread title were you ‘yes!’ or ‘god no!’?

Personally I want my kids spending the summer taking advantage of lower restrictions to visit people they haven’t seen since last summer and doing outdoor, fun activities. Education isn’t the only thing they have been missing out on.

However, I know that others are very worried about the missing education and may consider the summer better spent catching up.

YABU: I want 4 weeks of extra school in the summer holidays

YANBU: I want my kids to have the summer off to do other things

Whonis going to teach? I'm a teacher and I've been working in school, every day live streaming in an empty classroom!

Praying this is true!

No. I remember last year how ready we were for the summer holidays after the stress of home schooling. We would hate this.

@Snazzles2020 we do a lot of that stuff and while it's lovely when it's free, we are happy to pay a reasonable amount. I'd pay a bit more if it subsidised spaces for families who weren't able to pay.

@Xerochrysum that is good to know. Our previous days (in the distant normal times) were always very popular although many of our activities were free/ donation with only a few paid activities. We tried a few bits over the summer and some days were busier than others and were pre-book only.

@Suzi888

Praying this is true!

It won’t be!

Glad to hear it would be something people would be willing to attend and a reasonable and fair price (where appropriate) would not put people off too much. We would not want to charge an extortionate amount as then it excludes people but we would need to cover some costs. We are planning primary aged stuff but also some stuff for teens - more social/ creative than education based. We really want them to be fun/ active and enjoyable (hopefully some laughing ) rather than really education based so fun experiments, making something, having a go, performing drama etc. From the responses it sounds like we are on the right track. We now just need to cross our fingers that restrictions will allow these to go ahead in the warmer months otherwise I'm not sure how our sector may survive .

Appologies if my posts have somewhat de-railed the thread.

Mine have completed every piece of work the school have set. Why should they have to do 4 extra weeks when they are working hard 👎

I’m a teacher and have never worked as hard as I have this year.
I’m not spending 4 weeks in school over the summer. NO WAY!

No chance, we have had a great provision over lockdown the Christmas holidays were a write off and half term will be too. Summer will hopefully be for holidays, fun and seeing friends and family!

I really can’t understand why we don’t at least consider moving 3-4 weeks of the summer holidays to February, Easter or May school breaks, and lengthening the summer term into August, to enable more time for all children to be in school when the vast majority of the population is vaccinated and before they have to move up a year.

@JassyRadlett

I really can’t understand why we don’t at least consider moving 3-4 weeks of the summer holidays to February, Easter or May school breaks, and lengthening the summer term into August, to enable more time for all children to be in school when the vast majority of the population is vaccinated and before they have to move up a year.

Because the government wants the children of KW, vulnerable children and anyone who can’t work at home to be taught in school now. If we moved a large chunk of summer holidays to the spring, that wouldn’t change so school staff would still be working.

@JassyRadlett

I really can’t understand why we don’t at least consider moving 3-4 weeks of the summer holidays to February, Easter or May school breaks, and lengthening the summer term into August, to enable more time for all children to be in school when the vast majority of the population is vaccinated and before they have to move up a year.

People will have made plans based on the published term dates.

I wouldn’t want this for mine. Just really hoping restrictions are relaxed and we can do fun things and see family and maybe a holiday.
Actually feel sorry for those kids having to work most of the summer as well.

@JassyRadlett it would involve the government thinking ahead and actually doing some planning! Families have holidays they are hoping to go on too, including the staff. I think the children would be exhausted by Christmas, so potentially a longer half term in October would work.

But as PP's have said, people have made plans and KW children need to be in school now.

Yes, so they could catch up, some normality resume and most important they get to socialise with other children their age

Absolutely no way! My daughter will have been in school the whole time as I'm a key worker. They have been very much learning unlike lockdown 1. She's five and will be enjoying her summer holidays, hopefully spending time in the parks and on play dates with her friends who haven't been in school because of their parents jobs.

I wouldn't want this. My DC are working really hard. I want them to have a break and hopefully one where we can have some fun doing some things we have missed for so long. I don't think there's a chance it would happen, though.

Why don't the Gov give money to leisure centres instead to do fun stuff? Or free bus travel so older kids can see mates. Free swimming sessions. Inflatables. Sports other than bloody football. Things kids can do with their mates and that ALL kids can do because they don't have to pay.

Just no.

Optional bridging sessions could be useful for (post) GCSE and A-level cohorts to help them prepare for the next stage, not done at individual schools, but pooled across a town/ cluster of schools. Opt in to units of benefit.

My DCs are juniors age and struggling.

DS1 has ASD and othe SpLDs. He struggles going to unfamiliar venues and with unfamiliar people. He's better managed with targeted intervention in school. He needs the clear and established structure of school terms and holidays at home.

While DS2 is struggling with learning, it's his social skills that worry me more. In the summer, I normally put him in for some sports club days for the activity and social scene, although it doesn't help with developing friendships.

What they really need is fun and chance to be children. DS2 really struggled last June, but as restrictions finally eased (in any meaningful way to him) in July and we managed to go to more stimulating places and have a week's holiday, he became far happier. That's more important than cramming.

Free/ cheap social/ soft skills/ active/ FUN sessions would do a lot of children, a lot of good.

People will have made plans based on the published term dates.

To be fair, over the last year we’ve all made all sorts of plans that have gone to shit. We’re now in balance of shitness territory.

I'd rather just have stuff open so we can actually do some fun days out like theme parks, seaside etc.