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?

[user1497207191]

Everyone has abilities. Many are destroyed by the schooling process. I was lucky mine were of the academic kind that schools recognised even though I found being there hell and boring, in equal measures. But why is art or drama less valuable? Or practical abilities? Or sport? It's better for someone to have one real talent be nurtured than be forced to study things they will never be interested in to a low level that is not useful for their interest or career.

I agree with that. Schools carry on with subjects that the pupils aren't interested in for far too long, whether it's Physics or History or Drama or Music or Art or Team Games. Fine to do a wide variety at primary, and the first year of secondary. That gives pupils a flavour of a wide variety of "subjects" to discover what they enjoy, their abilities, etc.

But flogging a dead horse into year 8 and 9 doesn't achieve anything. My son had to do art, music and drama for the first three years of secondary school as compulsory subjects. He already knew (from primary school) he hadn't the remotest of interest and was just treading water (like many of the others in his class!). A year of weekly lessons in every subject in year 7 is enough for pupils to decide what interests them and what doesn't. They should start to have options in year 8 and 9 so that they can concentrate on what they really want to do. Making them take nearly all subjects for years 7-9 and only giving them options when it comes to GCSE years is soul destroying (for pupils and teachers) and counter productive as it will just promote losing interest, disruption, etc.

[Mum2b43]

I think summer holidays are too long. They are sick of each after 4 weeks. Other countries like Australia and SA give 4 weeks for summer. It’s plenty. That’s 2 weeks right there. Then maybe shorten Easter by a week. But I have a catch. All children are allowed to take up to 5 days off whenever they want, exceptions to exam/assessment days. That way the holiday costs will balance out. Not everyone will rush for the 4 weeks in summer.

[msgreen]

Chewingle
read my post WENT past tense!!!
of course we removed her

[airsealengineer]

No

[Abraxan]

@Mum2b43

I think summer holidays are too long. They are sick of each after 4 weeks. Other countries like Australia and SA give 4 weeks for summer. It’s plenty. That’s 2 weeks right there. Then maybe shorten Easter by a week. But I have a catch. All children are allowed to take up to 5 days off whenever they want, exceptions to exam/assessment days. That way the holiday costs will balance out. Not everyone will rush for the 4 weeks in summer.

And what about the teachers?can they have a flexi week too?

[firsttimeoptimist]

No to longer days. There are often options to extend the day with afterschool clubs and activities.
No to shorter holidays. It takes several weeks just to get out of school mode! Many private schools have shorter holidays and longer summers and my children already think this isn't fair!

[Mepop]

I am much more concerned with my children’s mental health than their academic success. They have been doing full home schooling but they have not been socialising. Their mental health has suffered. They cannot socialise during lesson time at secondary school and because of social distancing it is difficult to do that at break. Plus friends are not always at the same school or in the same bubble at school. And lots of out of school clubs are not running right now. I would say more options allowing the kids to socialise would be good but they don’t need extra lesson time unless they are close to exams.

[Mepop]

@garlictwist my son starts at 8:20 and finishes at 3:10, they get one 10 minute break mid morning and 45 minutes for lunch. I don’t think his day needs increasing unless break time is increased.

[Totallyfedup1979]

@Mum2b43

Your idea would entitle me as a teacher to three flexi weeks! (2 lost from summer and 1 lost from Easter). Fantastic! I LOVE that idea! I could get fabulously long, cheap exotic holiday in May!

But who would cover my hours? Would the kids have cover for three weeks? I teach GCSE, so as a parent would you be happy with this?

Of course, you’d having teachers off left right and centre using up their flexi time, so would you be OK with that?

Or are you expecting us to work three additional weeks for free?

Or are you hoping they’ll up everyone’s tax to pay for the additional three weeks?

[safclass]

How could you teach a whole school PE at the same time? Even if weather is good enough to be outside, space and resources would be impossible!!

[boomboom1234]

I think the school timetable is really really awkward for working families. I think it should be changed to fit better with the world of work.

[ArseInTheCoOpWindow]

But the timetable well in schools. And that’s essentially what it’s for. Not really for working parents.

[ArseInTheCoOpWindow]

Works well..

[Totallyfedup1979]

@boomboom1234

I think the school timetable is really really awkward for working families. I think it should be changed to fit better with the world of work.

As suggested many times before on this thread...what you need is ‘better childcare provision’ and not additional school.

[MrsArchchancellorRidcully]

@Hollyhead

Longer school day definitely although not all taught - I would take PE out of the school teaching day and have PE for all children 3.30-4.30pm most days a week. Doesn’t all have to be delivered by a qualified teacher - just responsible adults who can get them running around and moving.

I'd really support this. I'd want a decent summer holiday though. We spend 3 weeks on Spain!

[Totallyfedup1979]

I don’t understand all of these people saying their kids are bored after a few weeks in the holidays?

My son’s an only child and he’s always loved his long summers. Days out with mum and dad; days out with Nan and gramps; days with his friends and of course lazy days!

When I was little I loved my long summers too. Light evenings, able to stay up late, outside all day every day, picnics and camping in the garden. Nothing extravagant.

Also, do people realise the importance of learning to cope with being bored?

There is actually real value in being bored.
OK it’s a nightmare for parents as we have to deal with the moans, but boredom is a lifelong skill. Your children will get bored of their jobs, their partners, their own kids, their lives. Inability to cope with boredom leads to feelings of being unfulfilled and misery. People, children included must learn to entertain themselves and to look for things that make them feel productive. They should not have 24/7 entertainment or planned out days handed to them on a plate.

[Totallyfedup1979]

www.theschoolrun.com/benefits-of-boredom-for-kids

[ArseInTheCoOpWindow]

I’d like to see the 1700 pupils in my dds school all doing PE at once!

You’d need a huge huge area.

[ItsIgginningtolooklikelockdown]

See when you point out the flaws in a plan like this parents think you're being defeatist, lacking a can-do attitude etc - not every suggestion is a good one!

[Flipflops85]

@Mum2b43
I think summer holidays are too long. They are sick of each after 4 weeks. Other countries like Australia and SA give 4 weeks for summer.

Australian states get between 5 and a half and 6 weeks this year, not sure where you got your info from. I have a lot of teaching friends who’ve escaped there.

Their next summer holidays (Dec2021/Jan2022) run from approx 18th Dec with the earliest districts going back around the 27th Jan, and the latest around the 30th.

[ArseInTheCoOpWindow]

Trying to make sense of this, but it looks like they have 1/2 Dec, all of Jan and part of Feb as summer holidays in S.Africa?

7 or so weeks?

www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_speech/Approved%20Final%20%20School%20Calender%202021.pdf

[Frozenintime]

IF this did happen, when would it be implemented?

[Howshouldibehave]

@Frozenintime

IF this did happen, when would it be implemented?

Nobody knows, as it’s just one of many sound bites that have come out of Gavin’s mouth. I’m sure you know how some of his other soundbites like, ‘children will be given their mock results for A levels’ or ‘the algorithm for deciding grades is completely robust and, ‘there will be no u-turns on exams’ have turned out.

If I were to hazard a guess as to when this will be implemented, I’d probably go for ‘never’.

[Flipflops85]

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

I think when the pp looked at summer holidays they must have looked at June/July/August (those countries do seem to have 2-4 weeks off in those months.) However, that’s their Winter break and Summer is Dec to March.

[MagentaZebras]

@user1497207191

Everyone has abilities. Many are destroyed by the schooling process. I was lucky mine were of the academic kind that schools recognised even though I found being there hell and boring, in equal measures. But why is art or drama less valuable? Or practical abilities? Or sport? It's better for someone to have one real talent be nurtured than be forced to study things they will never be interested in to a low level that is not useful for their interest or career.

I agree with that. Schools carry on with subjects that the pupils aren't interested in for far too long, whether it's Physics or History or Drama or Music or Art or Team Games. Fine to do a wide variety at primary, and the first year of secondary. That gives pupils a flavour of a wide variety of "subjects" to discover what they enjoy, their abilities, etc.

But flogging a dead horse into year 8 and 9 doesn't achieve anything. My son had to do art, music and drama for the first three years of secondary school as compulsory subjects. He already knew (from primary school) he hadn't the remotest of interest and was just treading water (like many of the others in his class!). A year of weekly lessons in every subject in year 7 is enough for pupils to decide what interests them and what doesn't. They should start to have options in year 8 and 9 so that they can concentrate on what they really want to do. Making them take nearly all subjects for years 7-9 and only giving them options when it comes to GCSE years is soul destroying (for pupils and teachers) and counter productive as it will just promote losing interest, disruption, etc.

I agree. It's interesting to look at how other countries do this. In many at 12-13 pupils will be able to choose a school that specialises in their area of interest. Some are science focused, some more heavy on arts, some are language schools where the whole curriculum is taught in a foreign language (or two) so students quickly become fluent. I don't know why in the UK with key policy areas such as health and education, we seem to stubbornly refuse to look at best practice and adopt successful approaches that have been proven elsewhere to have superior outcomes.