Restructuring the school year

[AntiSocialDistancer]

inews.co.uk/news/education/education-catch-up-shorter-school-summer-holiday-ofsted-1005616/amp

A five term school year? With 2 week breaks and 4 weeks off at summer?

What do you think? With the understanding every school, pre-school etc falls into line.

Yanbu - let's change
Yabu - stay the same

@MasterGland

The government are not overly concerned with retention, though. They seem content with getting people through the door and getting them in front of the kids for a year or two. The churn in some schools is ridiculous. But as long as there is another NQT in the wings, they don't seem to care.

Indeed, Various governments have used education as a political football without caring about the children or the teachers.

I think it would be great. Most people on here won't agree as they will need to pay another terms school fees!!

@junebirthdaygirl

School is not the only place where children learn. And parents are their first educators. So l think the longer Summer holidays are essential to give families time to explore and learn new things together eg from nature. I know this is not always possible but even having camps where children can develop other areas of their lives is very important. Down time is also healthy and no homework so time to chill and read a book or just day dream. As a teacher l need children to bring experiences to school so we can build on those. I'm not talking about fancy holidays but just knowing what's around them or spending time with grandparents. It's all part of their education and so l am for the longer Summer break. Hopefully the weather is better and there is nothing as bad as children stuck inside a classroom in beautiful sunny weather.

But most working parents don't get the long summer break off, so the children are still stuck in somewhere. It isn't the idyllic learning opportunity you describe for many many people.

[quote MasterGland]@sherrystrull. Yes. I want better for children, but it can only start with a massive shift in the status afforded to the teaching profession in this country. Unfortunately, I think this is unlikely to happen.[/quote]
Sadly I agree

@Christmasfairy2020

I think it would be great. Most people on here won't agree as they will need to pay another terms school fees!!

It won't affect private / independent schools. The vast majority of MN users with children will attend state schools.

@Christmasfairy2020

I think it would be great. Most people on here won't agree as they will need to pay another terms school fees!!

But they won't. Independent schools will not follow suit.

We have a 9 week summer holiday where I live and it is very difficult. Yes some kids benefit from all the sports camps etc that run, but for those of us who work, it is an absolute nightmare to juggle it all. No way to get the kids to these camps. I would love for it to be shortened personally.

But most working parents don't get the long summer break off, so the children are still stuck in somewhere. It isn't the idyllic learning opportunity you describe for many many people.

I hate the race to the bottom.

What we need is solutions for these families, not penalising everybody because of them! It doesn't help their children, and it doesn't help anyone else.

I'm a single working mum and yet I would hate to lose the long summer holiday.

DS spends a week sleeping late, then a couple of weeks at a summer camp canoeing and coding, two weeks with me and a couple of weeks with his dad.

By the time he goes back in September he's relaxed and happy.

Two weeks would just be stingey and disruptive.

@tattleandbagels

But most working parents don't get the long summer break off, so the children are still stuck in somewhere. It isn't the idyllic learning opportunity you describe for many many people.

I hate the race to the bottom.

What we need is solutions for these families, not penalising everybody because of them! It doesn't help their children, and it doesn't help anyone else.

How is being working family a race to the bottom???? And I would think "these families" are most families rather than exception. And what solution do you propose for "them"?

I like it, the amount of time in classrom would be the same, the breaks would be longer apart from summer, rather than this week here and week there, which just throw the routine off.
I would just like it to be staggered like some countries do by area, so whole famillies would be off at the same time .

I've always said this is the ideal. And four weeks is more than long enough off.

@Tattle - what a twattish post. 'A race to the bottom'??? WTAF?

Yes I'm sure my graduate degrees and high flying career really represent a race to the bottom. Frankly you sound like a lunatic.

Do you need a wee lie down?

[quote headintheproverbial]@Tattle - what a twattish post. 'A race to the bottom'??? WTAF?

Yes I'm sure my graduate degrees and high flying career really represent a race to the bottom. Frankly you sound like a lunatic. [/quote]
Oh, a nerve was touched to get such an over-reaction.

It's not in the best interest of the children to reduce their summer holidays.

If you sacrifice your own kids to your "graduate degrees" and your "high flying career" and feel bad about it, it's not a valid reason to punish everybody else. It was your own choice.

Somehow many of us manage not to put our kids behind. As did most parents of kids in private school, they tend to have high flying career and give their children a good balance...

If it were up to me I’d be extending the summer holiday to 8 weeks so they break up end of June and have all of July and August off.
I would be properly funding summer activity programmes to get children outdoors; things like forest school and sports for primary age. Access to intensive swimming lessons for children who might not otherwise get these. For older children courses in life skills like cooking and budgeting and CV writing.
I would like to see more teachers and smaller classes so children can have appropriate attention instead of teachers having to spread themselves so thinly across a bigger group with a range of abilities.
I would hire a pastoral care team for each school. A full team who operate 52 weeks a year rather than term time only (full team required so the staff can cover each other’s holidays etc). Changing holidays would be a drop in the ocean for vulnerable kids. Vulnerable kids are vulnerable all year round and shaving two weeks off the summer wouldn’t cut it as far as protecting them goes so have a team that can support them all year around. Show them they are cared for and supported and help them be better in the future than the world they were brought in to.
This pastoral team could also support children through family deaths, parent divorce etc etc. Improve our children’s mental health for life.

Of course none of this will happen because it would take time and money which our government don’t seem to see as worth investing into our children.
So they can fiddle with the holidays all they like but it won’t change anything. It will make a marginal improvement to some, a negative impact to others and distract attention.
Meanwhile kids are still going hungry, kids are still being abused, kids are still disengaging with education and teachers are still leaving the profession as they are overworked, undervalued and in some cases under qualified to be the teacher, parent, therapist, counsellor etc etc that some children so desperately need.

@HolyMilkBoobiesBatman

If it were up to me I’d be extending the summer holiday to 8 weeks so they break up end of June and have all of July and August off. I would be properly funding summer activity programmes to get children outdoors; things like forest school and sports for primary age. Access to intensive swimming lessons for children who might not otherwise get these. For older children courses in life skills like cooking and budgeting and CV writing. I would like to see more teachers and smaller classes so children can have appropriate attention instead of teachers having to spread themselves so thinly across a bigger group with a range of abilities. I would hire a pastoral care team for each school. A full team who operate 52 weeks a year rather than term time only (full team required so the staff can cover each other’s holidays etc). Changing holidays would be a drop in the ocean for vulnerable kids. Vulnerable kids are vulnerable all year round and shaving two weeks off the summer wouldn’t cut it as far as protecting them goes so have a team that can support them all year around. Show them they are cared for and supported and help them be better in the future than the world they were brought in to. This pastoral team could also support children through family deaths, parent divorce etc etc. Improve our children’s mental health for life.

Of course none of this will happen because it would take time and money which our government don’t seem to see as worth investing into our children.
So they can fiddle with the holidays all they like but it won’t change anything. It will make a marginal improvement to some, a negative impact to others and distract attention.
Meanwhile kids are still going hungry, kids are still being abused, kids are still disengaging with education and teachers are still leaving the profession as they are overworked, undervalued and in some cases under qualified to be the teacher, parent, therapist, counsellor etc etc that some children so desperately need.

Yep-I completely agree with all of that.

The subject of schools holidays has been debated on here and countless other places for decades-for every person that likes things as they are, there will be one who wants more time in June and one who wants more time in October and you will piss off as many people changing it as you would in keeping it. I don’t believe there will be any changes made.

The problem that most people have is childcare-so perhaps some money needs to be invested in looking at enjoyable, affordable, workable childcare schemes. I don’t want my children in school for longer-in a compulsory change to education-because some people have childcare issues. I don’t want mine having shorter holidays than the rest of Europe whilst private school children continue theirs as before.

If the problem is helping disadvantaged children, then I’m assuming the government won’t be doing anything to solve that or they wouldn’t be cutting the Pupil Premium funding like they’ve just announced.

The problem that most people have is childcare

I should amend that to ‘the problem that most people who want holidays reduced have is childcare’

In my home country the summer holiday is 10 wks. Forgetting everything learnt during the summer is never a problem there. So why is it here?

HolyMilkBoobiesBatman

you are absolutely spot on.

The UK have one of the shortest summer school holidays in the world as it is!!

I should amend that to ‘the problem that most people who want holidays reduced have is childcare’

I think there are also an awful lot of people who think the uneven distribution of the holidays and what is essentially 6 terms with lots of little holiday periods and one big one.

We both work full time, no family support so holiday childcare is definitely an issue we have to tackle. Still, I don’t want fewer holidays - I’d like to see them more evenly spaced so that there are more options for decent-length holidays.

It’s a particular issue for me as my family live a very long distance away and in normal times we save up our leave and take unpaid leave to see them. But give the distance it’s not really worth going for only 2 weeks so under the current system it’s either July/August (winter there and their cousins are all in school) or I need to take the kids out of school, which I try not to do.

I’m always a bit baffled why people would prefer to have lots of week-long breaks rather than sharing that three weeks out better so that there could be fewer, longer breaks.

@JassyRadlett

I should amend that to ‘the problem that most people who want holidays reduced have is childcare’

I think there are also an awful lot of people who think the uneven distribution of the holidays and what is essentially 6 terms with lots of little holiday periods and one big one.

We both work full time, no family support so holiday childcare is definitely an issue we have to tackle. Still, I don’t want fewer holidays - I’d like to see them more evenly spaced so that there are more options for decent-length holidays.

It’s a particular issue for me as my family live a very long distance away and in normal times we save up our leave and take unpaid leave to see them. But give the distance it’s not really worth going for only 2 weeks so under the current system it’s either July/August (winter there and their cousins are all in school) or I need to take the kids out of school, which I try not to do.

I’m always a bit baffled why people would prefer to have lots of week-long breaks rather than sharing that three weeks out better so that there could be fewer, longer breaks.

Yes, I see what you mean but there isn’t much scope to have longer holidays at any other time than the summer when

1. The weather will ‘probably’ be good and
2. There are no exams

I think my challenge to that is that exams aren’t set in stone - if you’re going to shake up the system everything would be shaken up!

And scope for longer holidays - other places outside England manage it! A three week break in May/June and summer holidays being August/September would be an interesting model.

British weather is too variable to say any time is ‘good’ but giving people more flex for longer trips might mean people aren’t as tied to European summer.

As it is there’s a week off at the end of October and one in mid-February - there are few times of year you could choose for worse weather for holidays. We call February half term ‘time for another museum’ holiday here (or do holiday clubs).

@HolyMilkBoobiesBatman I agree 100% and more.

if you’re going to shake up the system everything would be shaken up!

I agree-exam timings etc would have to change. I just can’t see it ever happening