time for England to re-jig their school year?

[KnittingNeedles]

As someone who grew up in Scotland and who has kids at school in Scotland, July is holiday month and always has been. Kids at school until around 20th July always seems insanely late to me.

Statistically, July is the hottest month in the UK and with climate change upon us, temperatures are going to get more extreme. Most Scottish schools finish the last week in June, returning around 15th August. England/Wales keeps their kids in school 3-4 weeks later and then they stay off into September.

Time for a total shake-up of the school year to account for climate change? The school year was originally based around the farming year as far as I know, and as that's not really an issue any more, should they be adopting a more Scottish/N Irish approach to shifting the holidays?

(Actually, I hope they don't because we take advantage of that beginning of July period to travel to England and enjoy the weather/visitor attractions when the kids are all still in school, and enjoy the cheaper prices too).

I think that’s a great idea.

Yes this makes sense! Good idea

I honestly think having kids in boiling hot classrooms at the end of July is bonkers. Nowhere else breaks up as late as England and Wales to my knowledge.

Yes, I think it could be moved to the start of July (anything after A levels and GCSEs are over, and the national contingency day this year was 29 June, so a few days after that would work)

It might be worth lopping a week off the summer so that everywhere haad a 2 week autumn half term - otherwise that term is fearfully long and doesn't even have bank holidays to give the odd long weekend

I agree that July is indeed often very hot in school, but i also find the last two weeks of august are also often very hot too in the south east. So i am not sure it would help much.

I'd say August is possibly the hottest month on average - certainly in London? There's often a spell of 30 degrees plus in late August. It's barbecue season when Scotland kids are returning to school. Summers are longer in the SE.

Yes I agree. Only because mine have US cousins and the window to meet is small, as their holidays are similar to those in Scotland.

My childs school doesnt have teacher training days as odd days off just 2 weeks already for October half term. Agree shorten summer hols and add onto feb or may half terms.

Perhaps it can be changed by region for there average weather? Here it's usually hot in July where dd is not so much because she is coastal and I'm inland

Yes I'd agree with that. As well as shortening the 6 weeks and having an extra week at October half term.

When I was at school (NW England) our school holidays did start in early July in line with historical local mill and factory holidays, we were back at school mid august then had a week off in September. It was all changed maybe 15 years ago so that schools all broadly had the same holidays. I’m sure other places must’ve had similar.

The school year was originally based around the farming year as far as I know

This is much quoted but I don’t actually think it is true.

I think August is also often as hot as July!

I would agree that summers are longer in the SE.

Have lived in both Scotland and Sussex and there's really no comparison!

Sorry posted too soon. You couldn't have kids in SE England returning to school in mid-August OP (like they do in Scotland). When it's 30 in London it's quite oppressive. Even September can be hot.

It would mean a rehash of the GCSE timetable too, @RancidOldHag . Our exams this year in Scotland started on April 29th - DD sat her Higher Geography on that day. All done and dusted by 1st or 2nd June. Everything would have to shift by 3 or 4 weeks (and you'd have to lose your May whole week off too probably).

Nooooo I am in Scotland like my cheaper summer holidays always taken at the start of July!

-very lighthearted response before I get flamed for it!

I wish we could redistribute the holidays. 6 weeks is either too long or too short depending on your circumstances. Too long to cope with bored at home kids who refuse summer camps even if you can afford them. Too short to take advantage to do something meaningful with the time. The holiday industry is required to pack the whole year's provision into this short space escalating prices and with global heating short haul destinations are getting less appealing while UK ones remain tied to our unpredictable weather. I'd love it if we had another two weeks tacked on to Easter and they went back mid august.

For the last few years In our part of England they took a week off the summer break and added it to half term (Oct).

2 weeks late Oct is fine in principle but not a great time weather wise to find a uk based holiday.

OK then, if August is as hot as July then you abandon your week off in May and go right through to the end of June and start back 25th August rather than start September and there's a fortnight extra on summer holidays right there.

There is SO much moaning about kids being in school in the heat of July and air conditioning or whatever but there it could be that a rethink of the school year is more appropriate.

We have friends in Germany who are teachers and they finish even later than England, I think the German government take the approach to stagger the holidays with some states finishing end June and going back mid August, others not finishing to end July and going back mid September. But England/Wales keeping children in school until 3/4 of the way through July is a European outlier.33

Here in Ireland and Northern Ireland all schools are closed by end of June and none go back until September (sometimes the 26/27 Aug in Ireland). We have far less long spells of during the school year but it works brilliantly if you’re a working parent! Around 10 days off at Easter, a long weekend at Halloween, xmas they’re back by 3/4 Jan and no week off in May.

It absolutely should change, I've been saying this for years. The nights are starting to draw in by August, and if the weather's rubbish, as it often is, it can actually feel quite autumnal.

Most independent schools finish in early July anyway so they have two months off. Plus two more weeks in October. Easter school holidays are variable and I never really understood it, but this can be practically a month as week some years! Plus a week off in May. And the Feb half-term week.

I'd love it if we had another two weeks tacked on to Easter

I’d hate this! I wouldn’t want 4 weeks off at Easter when the weather is almost certainly going to be colder and wetter! It wouldn’t work with y11/13 external exams either.

I hope we are never in a position where English state schools cut the holidays down to 4 weeks in the summer, yet private schools and most of the rest of Europe still have 8+ weeks off.

In some places in England the summer holidays has been shortened by a week and they get two weeks in October. That means they only get the month of August off in the summer. My kids definitely prefer going to school when the weather's good, the summer term is always their favourite.

I think they have it about right here in Leicester. Last day of school was 8th July and they go back right at the end of August.