Do you WANT longer school days and shorter school holidays?

[shadowlily]

YABU- yes I want schools to have longer school days and shorter holidays

YANBU- no I'd rather keep the hours/terms we have.

I keep seeing this is being discussed in the media today, do you think it's likely to happen? Personally I think kids would benefit more from the summer holiday and being able to catch up on the activities they've missed and socialisation with friends. They've been home schooled to keep up with the curriculum (for the most part! I know this might be a contentious statement for some!) but nothing has replaced the play dates, day trips, parties etc. they have missed.

What do you think?

Longer days in primary school would be completely pointless from an academic point of view. The younger ones especially already don't focus well in the afternoons. They would gain nothing from being made to stay an extra hour or two.

No way to longer days or shorter holidays- have politicians never seen a child at the end of a long day/end of term?!

And lots of children have been working their socks off through lockdown, they don't all need to 'catch up'.

Govt should properly fund schools so they can get TAs to do small group interventions where needed. And fund schools to run after school sports, activities or arts/crafts clubs, as well as providing vouchers for disadvantaged children to use for holiday clubs for the above.

Learning isn't all about the classroom, children need to catch up on socialising more than education right now. They won't be in a position to learn if they are stressed by overly long days.

No I do not.

I will admit it’s purely selfish.
During Covid, we have kept up DD’s studies

During normal times, we use out of school times to provide her with extra opportunities because the school provision for bright students is always lacking. The holidays give her a chance to be surrounded by her peers and it’s really positive for her development.

Oh and our kids start school at 4/5 yrs old not 7 as in many other countries

What is it like before 7? I only really know Germany (a bit) in that they may start formally later but childcare is very cheap, hugely so compared to here as state funded to higher degree, and it’s more the norm to start earlier with this. There must be some learning at this stage?

Lunch breaks are shorter in secondary schools due to behaviour, even in good schools.

You can’t employ people to do lunch time duties, no one will do it! So, as schools struggle with supervision, behaviour can get out of hand. The shorter the lunch hour, the less time for mischief.

DS has completed every piece of work set for him in lockdown. We've busted a gut and prioritised his learning over everything else. I'd be pissed off

Oops.

I'd be pissed off as would be if we were expected to lose family and leisure time to catch up. We needn't have bothered.

YABU

I would actually support this initiative of longer days and shorter holidays if the extra time in school was more arts, music, play, bonding.

I'm hoping to put my children in holiday camps to make up for the necessary soft skills that have been completely obliterated thanks to closing schools and parks etc.

Not sure how I would be feeling for older secondary school children. Independent learning and rest is important.

I don’t want kids to lose half their summer holidays forever because some parents need childcare!
The solution is better childcare solutions for those who need it, not more compulsory school

Childcare isn't always better than school.
My DC hated holiday clubs... they still had long days with getting up early coming home late. They still only had the weekend or some evenings to play with their long standing friends (especially if other parents are at home).
Often they had a "friend" for Monday- Wednesday morning, one for the afternoon and none for Friday....
And that is just talking about the kids!
Being at school with their friends and adults they know is better, especially for younger DC.

Long School holidays are an outdated institution from a time when the average family could live comfortably on one wage.

I think a rearrangement of the school year would work. Maybe start autumn term a week earlier then finish for half term a week earlier and have two weeks then. Two weeks at Christmas. Two weeks in spring half term, break for Easter a week later (you’d still get bank holiday weekend off anyway.) Then two weeks in June and three weeks in August. Same number of weeks of holiday but will spread out family holidays and make it possible to do main holiday in slightly more off season times, hopefully spreading demand rather than restricting to summer and Easter holidays.

If a longer school day, the final hour devoted to sport/clubs for a more rounded education and doesn’t need to be teachers.

Mmmm that will be fun with the entire country going away for those 3 weeks in August....

Anyone who proposes this idea has no idea how children learn.
Oh it's Gavin Williamson is it? The one who presided over the cack job of GCSE and A level results.
Don't make their days longer. Make their classes smaller.

It's not longer days that are needed, it's smaller class sizes. 39 in my daughter's Yr 6 class and 1 ta (mornings only). Impossible.

YANBU

No way! We already have a tight squeeze to fit in extra-curricular activities after school.

Honestly I know this is the nuclear button but why have kids? If you don't want to take part in their education or have to work around them etc why bother?

People who'd prefer their kids to be locked up for extra hours in overcrowded shoddy environments with ratios of 30:1 adult surely do need to check their priorities?

Schools are literally overcrowded and underfunded and with the current version of inclusion they are very challenging environments in many ways. It's blind eye-ism at best to wish your children could spend even more time locked into them.

@Posyc

It's not longer days that are needed, it's smaller class sizes. 39 in my daughter's Yr 6 class and 1 ta (mornings only). Impossible.

You are absolutely right

@Posyc

It's not longer days that are needed, it's smaller class sizes. 39 in my daughter's Yr 6 class and 1 ta (mornings only). Impossible.

100% this!

But will never happen with the Tories

No, I am happy with things as they are. DS is at an independent school so his school day is 8.30-3.30 and then sometimes clubs until 4.30. That’s long enough in primary.
His holidays are long but we like that.
He hasn’t fallen behind because of Covid- we have been doing 9+ past papers this weekend and he seems to be where he ought to be.
I feel that he mostly needs long summer days where he can play with other children or in a pool, the main thing he has missed this past year is free play with children and swimming.

@TheHoneyBadger

Honestly I know this is the nuclear button but why have kids? If you don't want to take part in their education or have to work around them etc why bother?

People who'd prefer their kids to be locked up for extra hours in overcrowded shoddy environments with ratios of 30:1 adult surely do need to check their priorities?

Schools are literally overcrowded and underfunded and with the current version of inclusion they are very challenging environments in many ways. It's blind eye-ism at best to wish your children could spend even more time locked into them.

Crazy. I don’t even want this but the why have dc line is so ridiculous.

I am open to slightly longer school day for y7 onwards . Since covid, where my dc are, the school day has been reduced by half an hour. They now finish at 2.45.

I think Secondary pupils could stay until 3.45-4 and increase the lunch break to 35 mins. I think it is currently 20 mins.

Holidays wise it would be a shame but they could knock a week off the summer break.

@Ylvamoon

I don’t want kids to lose half their summer holidays forever because some parents need childcare! The solution is better childcare solutions for those who need it, not more compulsory school

Childcare isn't always better than school.
My DC hated holiday clubs... they still had long days with getting up early coming home late. They still only had the weekend or some evenings to play with their long standing friends (especially if other parents are at home).
Often they had a "friend" for Monday- Wednesday morning, one for the afternoon and none for Friday....
And that is just talking about the kids!
Being at school with their friends and adults they know is better, especially for younger DC.

Long School holidays are an outdated institution from a time when the average family could live comfortably on one wage.

Well, as this thread has shown-most people don’t actually want longer days and shorter holidays. A few parents who want cheaper childcare might want changes, but many more don’t. You might want more school because you/your kids don’t like the childcare they go to, but most parents just don’t want more school.

I can’t see it happening anyway-it’s just a distraction from schools going back tomorrow.

@TheHoneyBadger

This isn’t the case for many schools, ours is a
New build, small ish classes and very welcoming and nurturing environment.

@RoseMartha

I am open to slightly longer school day for y7 onwards . Since covid, where my dc are, the school day has been reduced by half an hour. They now finish at 2.45.

I think Secondary pupils could stay until 3.45-4 and increase the lunch break to 35 mins. I think it is currently 20 mins.

Holidays wise it would be a shame but they could knock a week off the summer break.

Are you sure they didn't reduce the length of lunch so that they can do a staggered departure from school (thus reducing mixing of year groups on the buses/at the bus stops and bus drivers refusing to stop altogether)?

Otherwise, if you keep them all until 4, that means everybody out at once (including most staff who have been there since 7am), multiple schools all wanting buses at the same time and some kids still waiting at the bus stops until 5pm, at which point the adults come out of businesses and start wanting to get home from work, too.

Hugely agree about Smaller Class Sizes being a more important priority

Kids get bullied. Kids lose half their learning time to accommodate the kid who will not let the lesson proceed because they enjoy the attention and they know they can get away with wasting everyone's time. Kids get taught by people who can barely speak English let alone manage and engage kids because working conditions are too shit to attract or retain well qualified professionals with options. Kids get pushed onto sitting through the next year's lessons despite clearly not having mastered the literacy skills necessary to access the curriculum for 4 years running. Kids sit perched on the end of a desk after hunting the maths block for a chair because there are 33 kids in their class and not enough room or chairs.

Parents stick their fingers in their ears and say la la la.

Is the real reason teachers are hated in the uk that people are scared of hearing the state that schools are in?