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

I have no skin in this game because mine is in Yr 13, but if I did I'd say no. After a lockdown winter, children need to be allowed outside to enjoy the good weather, go places with their family and get out of the house. School isn't any of that, especially if it's formal school with uniforms and a focus on maths and English. By all means offer voluntary summer schools of some kind with no uniforms and fun activities alongside learning, but not actual school.

I wouldn't like them to have to do it FT but a couple of days a week to socialise and do any 'catch ups' would be amazing.

No way. Mine, like lots, are sat at a computer screen all day, every school day. They are really good at getting on with it. They will need a break.

No won’t be doing that

No, something voluntary might be useful for one of my dc but the other two are at natural breaks in their education so need to relax before new challenges.

Absolutely not, as a mother and a teacher. We will be spending our summer going on a uk holiday 🤞, seeing family and having fun. I’d love to know who’s going to be teaching these classes because I can’t see many teachers signing up to do it.

I am all for some kind of educational reset but this does not feel like the answer to me. For a start, how do they plan to tailor these 4 weeks to accommodate what is likely to be even starker and wider differences between children than what was normal pre Covid?

I'd far rather see some creativity here. Spend some time thinking about how to adjust the education system in the short/medium (or even long) term to take into account the current situation. The kids who are most behind need the most help but arguably, sending them to school for more time could also backfire as it creates all kinds of additional knock on effects.

DD is in Year 1. She had 1.5 terms of reception and at the way things are going, she'll get at best, 1.5 terms of Year 2. She's smart and is doing okay all things considered but to send her into Year 2 and expect her and her classmates to just pick up as if they'd never been away.... yeah, 4 weeks of school in the summer is NOT going to help that.

I'd love it for my ds (5yo, dreadful homeschooling experience), but how will it be staffed? Teachers haven't had a break, I feel for them.

I'm torn! It could mean I get 4 more weeks of paid work at a time when we're even more skint than normal; however, my children are finding the home learning rather stressful and, because they've actually been doing all the work set throughout both lockdowns, they're not actually behind. I'm sure this is the case for a lot of children so they'd lose some of their summer holidays for nothing.

Would the teachers get paid for this btw? Remember that they don't actually get paid for the summer holidays.

Where’s the money coming from for all the extra pay to keep the school open? Not just the teachers but support staff, admin staff, caterers and cleaners?

I ticked YABU, because I would support this being offered (but not compulsory) for all kids.

That's not to say that I would necessarily take up the offer for my own DC - their online provision has been pretty good, and I don't think they're far behind where they should be. But if some kids would benefit from it, then that would be good.

Maybe not 4 weeks, but yes some would be great - my sons in reception though, so I'd want it more for the social aspect, playing with friends, spending time outside the family etc.

As much as I'd love it though, the poor teachers. I can't see it happening

Who is going to staff these summer schools? Did Greening mention that in her plan?

I would also do 2 weeks of some form of 'summer camp' to catch them up with some social, educational and extra curricular things.

@Sillysop92 the government has talked about providing 'catch up funding' - this could be one way to spend it.

I have voting turned off but no, not if it is compulsory. DD doesn't need it.

Ooh tricky. I don't see how it would be staffed? My Y4 absolutely needs it, but she will also need a proper break, we find homeschooling hard, and she is really not happy at school either. If it is optional it would create even further disparities surely?

My kids online teaching has been really good and they have not fallen behind at all, if anything they’re strangely ahead so I won’t send them - I’m hoping to travel back home for a month or two if I’m allowed.

No. Kids need a break.
The current situation isn't a break from education, even if the education isn't as good as normal.

Happy Flamingo, yes that would be good. Not sure I want to give up my Summer though, both as a parent and support worker in a school. If things are back to a semblance of normality I want to be on holiday with my family. Volunteers from staff who wouldn’t mind giving up their holidays. But they need to be recompensed.

I'd send mine. Especially my 7 year old. He is ridiculously behind. I am really disappointed in the school

I wouldn’t send my kids. They’ve been working really hard and they’re getting more done at home than in lessons at school in most subjects. They’ll be having a long break over the summer. Schools/college provision has been great so there’s absolutely no need for it for my kids. Just hoping things will be looking better by then and they can spend the summer doing nice things and seeing their friends.

I think it's really important to answer this as a parent of an actual child. That is, for your child - not hypothetical, other children.

You see, I think this proposal isn't rooted in the concrete, and sounds OK ... until you actually look at your own child and what they - actually, really - need.

And, crucially, a lot of people wouldn't be able to support it. 4 compulsory weeks over Summer is a huge family commitment. Especially after what we've all gone through already.

(And I do get that for some people, this might be what they need and be do-able as a family.)

When I say this would break my child, I really mean it.

Like a vase.

Smashed.

And I'd be holding tiny, sharp, broken pieces - crying, trying to match them, trying to lie them alongside places they once joined - thinking all the time of how something so beautiful is now shattered.

And I doubt very much I'm the only one who is in this position.

They said this last year and it didn't happen. You wouldn't be able to staff if for starters, and that's only the first thing in the list of issues.

In summer my children will be playing outdoors with their friends - that is the real thing that will help them recover.