To think summer hols should be 4 weeks long, then have another two weeks through the year

[Starfishswimmer]

Say for example may holiday becomes a fortnight as does the oct one

Would you find this better ?

yanbu for yes
yabu for no

I think it should be flexible. Ie each school picks what is best for them.

We definitely don’t need more time off for Xmas, 2 weeks is long enough and they’re all fed up by Jan.
the summer holidays are perfect as they are 4 weeks would fly by.
lots of teachers go into school in the first/last week of their summer hols too to get their classrooms organised for the next year, so they’d lose even more of their time.

Imagine the prices of summer holidays if most people were trying to book two weeks in a four week window, or even one week. Think of how poor customer service would be at companies that are incapable of holiday planning with the current six weeks.

No-one is going to agree to a system of staggering the four weeks by area across say between mid-June and mid-September.

Spreading out of holidays would be better, but is sadly impractical.

I’d like to take a week or so off the summer and add it to the Christmas holiday.

So how will the school be able to undertake essential maintenance & checks?
It's hard enough trying to squeeze it all into 6 weeks

Yanbu-ish.
I want extra days on Xmas and Feb half term holidays. Hate dark mornings and the season of illness.

Our schools get 6 weeks in the summer and 2 in October. Other schools don't use their INSET days so wisely! 😂

Also in Nottinghamshire and this year had 4 1/2 weeks in summer, then two weeks in October. We've had this for a few years and it works for us as we then have our main holiday in October which is cheaper!
If I didn't work, or even worked part time, I'd probably like that long summer but the stress and cost of covering six weeks is hard going.

I love the long summer holidays. Don't want them to be any shorter.

We do 5 weeks in summer and 2 in Oct/Nov. I don't want extra at Christmas. We don't really do Christmas ( child with ASD) and the weather is not good.

You can't have the may holiday as a fortnight as it interferes with exams. The more you mess around with the holidays the more likely you end up in situations like @WhoopDeeedoo has outlined. YABU

Yes you can - just the year 11s come in that week

Now that my youngest has moved up to a Secondary that has 5 weeks in Summer, 2 in Oct and 2 in Feb we’re very happy.
I’ve just booked 2 weeks abroad in both Feb and Oct for the same price as two weeks in Summer

Like a pp said, it's hard enough trying to get a holidays sorted out for everyone during the summer in 6-7 weeks when you have a workplace that needs minimum levels of cover and everyone has school aged kids. It would be impossible in 4 weeks! May/June no good for high school aged kids, and by October the weather is rubbish in Britain and not great in lots of short haul places. Plus I think the kids (certainly the older ones) really need a good break off.

From a teaching and learning point of view (imho):
6 weeks taught half term
1 week off (one day off for teachers, 1 day inset/training 3 days in school prep)
6 weeks taught half term
2 weeks off (the first week is teacher's holiday the second is in school prep)6 weeks taught half term1 week off (one day off for teachers, 1 day inset/training 3 days in school prep)6 weeks taught half term2 weeks off (the first week is teacher's holiday the second is in school prep)6 weeks taught half term1 week off (one day off for teachers, 1 day inset/training 3 days in school prep)6 weeks taught half term2 weeks off (the first week is teacher's holiday the second is in school prep)5 weeks (when the exams are, as teachers are working there are ample funded summer school places to focus on pupils who have weaker areas which need addressing, or areas of special interest for more able pupils, time to focus on sports and training or extra time off for those that need that)2 weeks off (the first week is teacher's holiday the second is in school prep)teaching time is 36 weeks or 41 weeks depending on the pupil rather than 39 weeks for everyone. But of course this doesn't fit with religious holidays like Christmas and Easter. Or leave a big enough gap between taking the exams and an assumption that one would be starting University at the beginning of September.

Some schools already have 2 weeks for May half term, My DD’s step kids are in Liverpool and they get two weeks, we are in Staffordshire and DD (teacher) gets one week, as will DGS who starts at preschool tomorrow.
For purely selfish reasons, I’d love 2 weeks May and 2 weeks October so we can go on holiday for more than a week or have a week away and then more time off.

My kids have 12 weeks off in the summer and no half term holidays. I would like half term holidays!

Posts like this crop up from time to time. There is no great support for one alternative model-some parents want no school holidays, some want longer ones, some want more at February, others want more at Xmas. Others trot out bollocks about the lengthy summer holidays being for antiquated harvest collecting!

We already have one of the shortest summer holidays in Europe-I can’t see anything changing.

Yes you can - just the year 11s come in that week

So teachers wages would have to increase.

Why 2 weeks in October? For what? Crappy time of the year to do much except stay at home. Younger children do need a break in the term but for secondary age even the week is a waste. I remember teachers giving us loads of homework to "keep us occupied". I would have rather just gone to school at that age of they wanted us to be doing school work.
I like 6 weeks in the summer. If anything would love more....

love the long summer holidays no change from me!

October is cold and dark. Why would anyone want 2 weeks off then? A week is long enough to catch up on all the stuff you couldn't quite get round to doing during the term and to mark all your assessments.

What country is that then ?

That only works for families if all your children are in the same school though.

Same. I think the current set up is fine and doesn't need changing.

If I had to be pushed into changing anything I'd have a shorter break for Easter and a shorter break for Christmas/New Year and have the extra time added onto the start of summer instead so they break up early July rather than mid-July.

Can you imagine what it would do to the already extortionate price of summer holidays if everyone was trying to squeeze into 4 weeks instead of 6? And as others have said, workplaces often limit the number of people who are away at anyone time, so for people working in teams with a lot of parents with school aged children might not even get a Summer holiday.
I can see that with the cost of heating and lighting sky rocketing it might suit schools to have longer holidays in the Winter and we may end up forced into it, but I don't think many people will actually like it if it happens.

I'm a teacher and I could go for this, particularly a two week May break. We already have two weeks in October, so I'd happily take an extra week at Christmas or Easter (not so much February!).