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

@flowerycurtain

Absolutely bloody fantastic idea. Private schools and all. Mine get 10 weeks off for the summer hols. 4 of those should absolutely be used to make sure everyone's at the same level for September. Or think ahead and have kids in for a bit in august then off in November for longer when things have the option to get tougher again.

So the private schools kids still get six weeks of time off even after the extra schooling, and my dc get two weeks off. That sounds like something children would be on board with?

Thank goodness there's a raft of eager volunteers ready to teach all these extra classes.

You might get a few but would they be willing to work with problem classes in disadvantaged areas with lots of behavioural issues? Would they volunteer and then decide it's not for them the first time a child kicks off?

Let's face it- these are the schools that will need more help. These are the kids who need more help

It's all very well some retired English Prof flouncing in to talk about Sartre with Matilda and Quentin in 6th form for a few weeks, but who is volunteering to teach basic literacy and maths catch up to a load of feral post-lockdown 8 year olds desperate to blow off steam? It's hard enough finding qualified teachers to fill these posts.

D'you reckon there will be a queue?

This will just widen the gap further.

DD is GCSE year. Her online provision has been ok, but not on a par with her friends at Private schools. Would she benefit academically from this? Yes. Would it maybe improve her grades? Yes. Does she need a break more than she ever has in her life? Also yes.

For important, exam years especially, optional additional provision, will just exagerate an already unfair gap between those that take it up and those that dont.

Definitely not. My Y7 is getting good online provision and working really hard. My Y5 is doing a fair bit. They need to play and see family and be outdoors and get some sun IMO.

No, I do not want my Year 3 working in the summer holidays.

I would prefer a one to one to check his knowledge with someone who knows how to spell (not me in otherwords) but I am mainly worried about DS not seeing any friends, so would prefer something play based, if restrictions continue that we can only see x amount of households,

yeah it will never happen

Not even if we were under Labour (even less likely then! as they are more in touch with Unions)

The Unions won't allow it, also: teacher's contracts won't allow it (their pay is factored in the amounts of weeks they work, you can't just add 4 weeks unpaid to that)

It will never happen.

@DoctorHildegardLanstrom

I would prefer a one to one to check his knowledge with someone who knows how to spell (not me in otherwords) but I am mainly worried about DS not seeing any friends, so would prefer something play based, if restrictions continue that we can only see x amount of households,

Sorry should say for a couple of hours of a one to one check, not for four whole weeks.

Besides anything else if we still are quarantining travellors the tourism industry is going to desperately need us all to have UK holidays for that 6 weeks.

Nope! Not here! I'm a ta who has been working well above my paid hours, covering a teacher, doing online lessons etc. I am not giving up my unpaid holiday, where I can relax and enjoy my own family. My kids have been completing all work set, they are all in secondary, the level of teaching has been great.
I seem to remember they threatened this last year, suddenly realised teachers/ta do not get paid for holidays, and it was decided that because schools have been open throughout, it was a non starter.

@WitchesBritchesPumpkinPants

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

I agree with this 100%.

No, a MILLION percent.

ds is mid exam years, he would have been sitting Scottish Highers this year in May so 4 weeks in summer is too late for this years exams.

His S6/Advanced Higher courses will only start in June (I assume), it really depends on what is happening at the time, 4 weeks in the summer would get them ahead for any potential disruption later in the year I guess, but they need a break too.

For younger kids I don't think 4 weeks will make that much of a difference overall and they probably need a good break. Parents can choose to revise/practise with them over the summer holidays, to their own schedules, if they want.

I wouldn’t want it. The holidays are there for a reason. I’d happily hire a tutor to do extra with my child if needed in core subjects, but 4 weeks’ extra school in the baking heat when they could be on holiday is going to be a tired, ill-tempered and inefficient business.

It doesn’t seem fair to the children that still have to attend school for various reasons, not to mention the teachers who are working their asses off trying to set work for children working from home and look after the children in school

For those saying that their children are behind, how do you know they're behind?

Not being goady. Genuinely interested to know what your measures are.

Not a fucking chance. Im a teacher and a parent

If the world is safe enough for kids to mix we'll be having a holiday, seeing friends and family, possibly getting married (booked for July, postponed for a year from last summer)

Like fuck will I be teaching and / or sending ds to school!

I very much doubt this will happen. Who will staff it? Who will pay for it?

I'd send mine after we hopefully see family. So not the whole four weeks, maybe the last two of August/ start of Sept.

I would imagine most parents would want it for the free childcare irrespective of needing to catch up.
I imagine most will take the offer.

Wobblywibblywoo, your comments made me wonder. If they set out a summer catch up school for children home schooling atm, but not for children attending school, do those parents saying "it's not fair that they are getting proper teaching while mine are stuck at home and falling behind" would take up the place.

I can't imagine it happening. Aside from the issue of who is going to teach, I'm a school cleaner contracted for 52 weeks a year. We have to take our holiday outside term time, and then it takes 3-4 weeks to do a full school deep clean (2 people working part time hours) and often there's essential maintenance work. This can't be done while children are in school.

I’m sick of mine staring at a screen all day. It’s not too bad when it’s rubbish weather but no way are we staying indoors all day when it’s nice outside.

If restrictions are lifted I also want to see family members properly.

This was what was supposed to happen with this lockdown, we would take the first 2 weeks off of the summer hols. But people have already had to take holiday from work and teachers and other school staff have been working so they won’t get their holiday.

Boris did confirm this week that talks were ongoing about tutors and summer schools, money being put in place etc.

And hre we have the MN response in a just a few posts

No, it's an imposition
Yes, its free childcare

As a Secondary school teacher and Mum of teens, the answer will be a firm No.

I've quite literally ignored my own DC from 7-5 everyday for months. I want to be Mum for the summer before the madness starts again.

cis my DD did no work last spring and is doing almost nothing now. She'll need a major catch up.