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

It really doesn't matter what I would choose, because there is a 0% chance of this happening.

Who will do the extra teaching? Are they going to pay teachers over time? It will cost a fortune. Some schools are doing plenty of online teaching and pupils will not be behind .Schools that aren't doing a good job with online learning probably wouldn't do a good job with the extra four weeks .

No, DD (13), Y9 has her normal timetable from 8.15am - 3pm with two 1/2 hour breaks only. Then she is expected to work around 1-2 hours per day on homework and revision.

While live MS teams lessons aren't a replacement of face-to-face ones she needs a break. She needs to do all the things put on hold, going on day trips, seeing friends, relaxing, enjoying sport and maybe even see family abroad.

Her school already earmarked children who didn't do well in the first lockdown and these are classed as vunerable and do attend school.

I would prefer having a slightly longer lockdown and keep the non-essential shops closed to get the children back to school earlier, at least on a part-time basis for some subjects.

It won't happen. They would have to pay teachers, and not all teachers would be willing or able to do this. I suppose some schools could offer it on an optional basis but I wouldn't send my kids. They've been working quite hard and will need a break.

@ktp100

FUCK THIS!!

My child is NOT behind & has completed all work over through both lockdowns well. He is hitting year 3 targets and NEEDS A BREAK!!!

No way does this need to be mandatory. If kids are working at or above target this is both unnecessary and pointless.

I agree with you for those who are keeping up. In fact I think the school should identify who needs it and who doesn’t. The whole point would be to catch the kids up who are behind. Not to give the more able kids an even bigger edge. I think it would be unfair to offer it to all.

Mine are at indy anyway, so this is probably a moot point as unlikely to be offered but...

Eldest is a high achiever in yr 11. Will likely get top grades. Has worked hard and consistently achieved highly throughout the course and school provided full online high quality learning throughout both lockdowns - no periods of isolation. Not behind, hasn't missed anything, GCSEs will be done anyways - so no I wouldn't send.

Youngest is clever but lazy in Yr 10. Has put a lot of effort into trying to avoid working hard throughout lockdowns despite excellent online schooling offered, and lots of intervention has been needed by both us and the school to keep everything on track. Absolutely works better in school than at home due to less distractions. Would probably benefit from some targeted interventions in specific areas to bring him up to where he should be. However, he's bright and will almost certainly do well enough anyway (perhaps not the top grades his ability warrants, but I would suspect he'll still get 6s & 7s) and I trust the school to catch him up throughout Yr 11. So no, probably not, although I would consider specific classes or programs of study if advised it was necessary or beneficial by the school.

We did this last year in the country where I live. We all groaned a bit but it really was a good idea, because it helped close the gaps that had been opening up between rich and poor children. I think there are a lot of middle class parents on here whose kids aren't behind, but this will not be true for a lot of kids.

Perhaps an army of volunteers from Us4Them could staff it-they do seem terribly worried about vulnerable children missing out on valuable learning.

I thought this last year. The best thing would have been to declare a month of lockdown time as holidays and then bring forward the start of the school year by a month.

Finishing lockdowns in school holidays is disastrous in terms of people travelling and mixing. It’s far better to reduce restrictions when kids are back in school. So I think whenever lockdown ends, kids should go straight back to school.

It will be too late for mine she will have done her GCSEs by then and she is so so stressed (Cambridge iGCSE are still insisting on sat exams). We will be desperate for a break come summer and she wants to see her grandparents, which may involve isolation if restrictions haven't lifted.

Not for my secondary aged children. They have been attending the live lessons set by the school and when not attending live lessons they have been completing all the other remote learning tasks set by the school. It would be unfair to expect them to carry on with formal learning over the summer.

I would rather they catch up on seeing friends and family in a socially distanced way over the summer if the guidance allows that and getting outside in the fresh air, spending quality time as a family.

Who is doing the teaching ?

In fact I hadn't realised how much we were holding out for the respite of summer until I read this news.

Not that I think it would happen anyway, but no, I wouldn’t want that.
My dc have been fine academically. What they want is fun, friends, family. As soon as that’s permitted, we will be seeing as many people as we can, out in the (hopefully) nice weather, and making the most of a break from the relentless winter respiratory bug round that I fully expect to be back by November.
Some sort of holiday club with friends would be better, so we can work in peace and they can have fun. I would happily pay for that, as I usually do.

This is also what I’d want for my children’s teachers to avoid burn out so hope the summer catch up is voluntary for school staff and adequately paid.

no, just no

The Education system is not shut right now as far as I know.

The cope-out: let's not do enough but we can set up something in the summer is unacceptable.

Schools and parents need to put their arse in gear, not punish the children. Mine would absolutely not go. (Primary and Secondary)

That won't happen anyway!

I'd take it for mine (y1 and y3) as they are both still at the age where they love school and its their main source of social interaction. Not to mention I'm a totally ineffective teacher and my poor kids will need all the help they can get

School in summer tends to be much more outside based anyway, and we'll still have weekends and after school for other activities.

I'd 100% want teachers to have their full breaks though so even if this was anything more than a pipe dream I'd expect it to be an independent body who lease school space and provide staff etc. Have no idea if it would be feasible in any way at all.

I think dd (16 at 6th form) would jump at the chance. Ds (7) would absolutely hate it. I might do a week or possibly 2 but not 4. It's 2/3s of their summer holidays and when they do get back, I think whatever time they are in school is going to be pretty intense and focused. I personally think extra sessions added on in term time makes more sense, so presumably it's an extra 120 hours of teaching time, do an extra 2 or 3 hours a week at school, so 40 mins a day over 5 days maybe. Would be long enough for an extra maths or English session for primary anyway. But obviously logistical problems with that. Our primary currently finishes at 1.10pm on a friday, before I would send ds to summer school would want that to revert back to a normal finishing time.

bring forward the start of the school year by a month.

No

Terms are long enough as it is, that wouldn't work either.
Kids NEED a summer

I could vaguely support a summer break starting in June for primary, but that sadly couldn't work for secondary anyway.

No. Myself and exH both have summer holidays booked, moved from last year. We haven't seen my family since last summer. The govt are already talking about winter restrictions next year. I want to be able to see family and friends when I can and I want my children with me, not in school.

It's a no from me for my kids.. This has been a long winter with not a lot of outdoor time, we will take the holidays and run with them, catching up on lost opportunities not just education. Visiting places, travelling on transport, eat out, see friends/family socially (if allowed)
However I do work in a school and if I was asked then yes I would go in for 2 weeks max with the condition that Personal, Social and Emotional wellbeing is at the forefront and not just Maths and English.

I would jump at this, but sadly don't think it will happen.

I'd send mine a couple of days a week as free childcare.

Yes! I would be very happy with that.
I think it depends on age and maybe works better for primary, but my son misses his school friends more than his aunties or my friends and there would still be weekends to visit people and do fun stuff.
Is everyone doing something amazing every day of summer holidays that they would miss out on so much?
We are not supposed be travelling abroad and that still gives everyone two weeks to go somewhere.

Agree with @remarker, it doesnt need to be extra, february should just be holiday

No

IMO kids need the summer more than ever this year, to get outside in a FUN way (not another bloody walk) see their friends, extended family & dream, relearn the art of looking forward to things and relax.

Plus people have family holidays booked already - that'll do the kids FAR more good than weeks more of school.

Kids & school staff hopefully back in September all fresh & ready to go